


Seven Meetings

by orenji92



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Businessman!Sinbad, Doctor!Kouen, Enali - Freeform, M/M, Slight OOC, Student!Alibaba
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-19 11:59:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4745522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orenji92/pseuds/orenji92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kougyoku brought her best friend home to finish their art project. It was normal, right? Then how come it turn into a love story, between her best friend with her oldest brother no less?</p><p>Could people find love within seven meetings? Slight OOC. AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd.  
> Read on your own risk.

[ ](https://dreamingwhilewriting.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/pre-order-seven-meetings-comicfrontier7/)

“I’m going to bring my friend home tomorrow, so all of you, please behave!” Kougyoku suddenly announced at dinner. She looked at each of her siblings, one at a time, to make sure they got the simple message.

Hakuei, the only girl beside Kougyoku, only nodded her head in understanding. It was hard for the girls to bring friends to their home. When they brought girls, they would flirt with the brothers; and when they invited boys, the house’s male occupants would glare openly and shamelessly at the poor boys.

The boys looked rather indifferent at the moment, but Kougyoku were not deceived. She knew what kind of torture they could, and would, put on her beloved friend. Unlike the other brothers, Hakuryuu, her twin, only fidgeted excitedly as he already knew who this friend was. Kougyoku just kept quiet about his behavior for she knew of his little crush for that certain friend of hers.

“A she or a he?” Kouen asked menacingly, could not help himself to interrogate his sisters. His over protectiveness toward his sisters had been developed and cultivated since their parents passed away eight years ago, and he would never allow the girls to bring a shady or unworthy boy into their home. Not under his supervision.

“A he.” She replied shortly. When Kouen opened his mouth to object, she cut him, “But that is not important. I need you to behave yourselves, especially you, Kouennii-san.” Her strange threat caught Koumei’s and Kouha’s interest. It was not very often that the oldest got the firmest warning.

“Why me?” Kouen puzzled. He raised an eyebrow.

“Because he is blond and innocent. To put it simply, he is your type.”

Pause. Kougyoku suddenly wanted to be in her room wrapped in the safety of her thick blanket. Kouen dumbfounded. Hakuei choked on her food. Koumei and Kouha blinked, then laughed hysterically. Hakuryuu’s shoulder tensed. Cue of more awkward pause.

Could not bear the awkward long silent anymore, Kougyoku coughed in attempt to break the tension. “We have to finish our art project together, so please do not disturb us with your annoying and unnecessary glares. Is that clear?” Without waiting for responses, she went to her bedroom and locked the door to prevent further interrogation from her beloved brothers. Then she informed her friend that she had the permission to bring him home tomorrow. She got an immediate reply filled with excitement. With that she went to sleep in peace.

The dining room, however, did not share her sentiment. Kouen sighed and got up from his seat. The sudden outburst from his youngest sister had taken his appetite away. “Finish your meal quickly.” Then he went to his bedroom calmly. Hakuei and Hakuryuu finished their meal in awkward silence and went to their own bedrooms. That left the two brothers who were still trying to control their laughter but failed miserably. Thus, the wonderful night of Ren Household ended rather peacefully.

When she came home with the issued boy, her house was quiet without any sign of her siblings. _Maybe Lady Luck is on my side,_ Kougyoku thought. She put off her coat and hung it on the hanger and instructed her friend to do the same. When she walked into the living room, he followed her like a lost puppy.

 _Then again, maybe not._ Kougyoku grimaced when she found Kouen was sitting on the leather couch with one of his complicated books on his right hand. His beige sweater hung loosely on his long torso, and he was wearing a pair of faded vintage jeans. To say he looked good was an understatement. His look was one of the reasons why he never had to look for a date, the date itself would find him. No one that Kougyoku knew so far could resist his request when he looked at them directly in the eyes; well, no one except for his siblings because that would be gross.

“I’m home,” she announced loudly. Kouen looked up for a moment, nodded at her to acknowledge her arrival and put his attention back to his reading material. She pouted at his cold reaction, “Kouennii-san, at least you can pretend to be friendly when I bring my friend home.” To humor his sister, Kouen looked up with a sigh to see this precious friend of hers.

“Good afternoon, my name is Alibaba Saluja. Please take good care of me.” The blonde boy said politely and gave a small bow when Kouen looked at him.

Kouen thought that name rang a bell on his head, so he took his time to scrutinize at the boy, down to top. His uniform hung rather loosely on his slender body, making him looked as harmless as a hamster. His skin is creamy and he had golden hair that shone like soft golden thread, with a pair of big and clear golden eyes. He realized that the boy was fidgeting nervously under his hot gaze.  _Not bad_ , he thought, _but those eyes, I wonder where I’ve seen them before_.

Kougyoku cleared her throat. “Aren’t you supposed to be working, Kouennii-san?”

“My colleague asked me to change shift with him because he had a date tonight.”

“Then, why don’t you help me to make some tea and sweets for our guest,” Kougyouko grabbed his sweater and pulled him to the kitchen. “Alibaba-chan, make yourself at home!” She winked at him and gone to the kitchen, leaving the dumbfounded Alibaba to sit awkwardly on the living room.

As soon as they reach the kitchen, Kougyoku released her deathly grip on her brother’s sweater and gave him a sharp glare.

“I’ve told you to behave!”

“I didn’t do anything.” The word yet was left unsaid, but Kougyoku could hear it loud and clear, so she glared even sharper, if it was possible. “You said last night that he is my type. Of course I would be curious.” He smirked.

Apparently she dug her own grave. “So?” Kougyoku asked hesitantly, hoping he would say no. But the answer was already clear.

The smirk got wider. “I am surprised to say that you know my type too well.”

Kougyoku felt like the sky had fallen down and the earth had finally thorn apart. She almost screamed like a Banshee had she not remembered of her friend, who was sitting unsuspectingly on the living room. “Don’t touch him!” She screamed in whisper.

“I can’t promise you that, dear sister. Although…” Kouen paused, thinking of something.

“What?”

He shook his head slowly. “Nothing concerns you, I suppose. Now, why don’t you make some tea while I prepare some sweets for that beloved friend of yours?” He changed the subject smoothly.

Kougyoku grumbled a little, but decided to catch the ball. “Fine. I cannot let my beloved Alibaba wait alone in that living room. He must feel very awkward right now.”

They went back to the living room with some treats on a small tray. True to her word, the golden haired boy was fidgeting awkwardly and released his breath that he did not realize had been holding when he saw the two came back. Somehow it irked Kouen, just a little, that Kougyoku could understand Alibaba so well and called him ‘beloved’. He decided that it was his brother-feeling.

“Alibaba-chan, let’s go to my room to do our project. We have a long way to go.” She had to protect her angel from the grasp of the evil perverted wolf, and that meant they have to get away from his sinful gaze as soon as possible. But of course, her plan would never go smoothly when her oldest brother was around.

“Kougyoku, I’ve told you not to bring boys into your bedroom. I raised you better than that.”

Alibaba nodded in agreement. “That’s right, Kougyoku. You cannot bring boys to your room so trustingly.” He knocks her head softly, then turned to Kouen with a smile of understanding, “I understand your concern, Ren-san. Please don’t worry, we can work here just fine.”

 _It’s your safety that I’m worried about!_  Kougyoku screamed hysterically inside her head. But of course, she kept her composure straight. Her twitching eyebrows were not helping much though.

“Alright, I’ll take the stuffs here,” Kougyoku got up and went to her bedroom with a forced smile. Once she got into her room and closed the door, she realized she had made a big mistake. She had just left her Alibaba alone with the wolf down there. With a force that could send a sumo flying, she slammed her door open and got ready to rescue the blonde’s chasity from the hand of the demon king.

The view that greeted her was not exactly what she had expected. The two males were currently sitting in a serene atmosphere on their own seat, which were separated by the coffee table. In other word, Alibaba was still untouched even though he was left alone with Kouen for nearly 25 seconds. That could be a record.

“Alibaba, are you okay?” Kougyoku asked anyway, just to be sure. You could never be too careful when it was about Kouen.

“Huh? Of course I am,” Alibaba blinked in confusion, before asking, “Didn’t you say you’re bringing out the property?” He stared at her for a while, and continued when she was still not moving, “Where are they?”

Kougyouku laughed and scratched her head sheepishly, “In my room?” With that she sprinted so she could immediately protect the baby, the big blonde clueless baby. Such a precious and endangered species he was. When she got back, this time with all of the necessary stuffs, her brother was still in his first position, unmoving, which was a good sign. Alibaba, on the other hand, was rather tense and his eyes were looking at everywhere but Kouen. Now, this was not good.

“Alibaba?”

Alibaba was startled, but then he beamed at Kougyoku. “Kougyoku. I didn’t realize you’re here. Let’s start the project.”

Kougyoku eyed the older male once more. He still seemed unaffected and indifferent, but she could never guess what was running on her brother’s mind. It would only hurt her head if she tried. Besides, it was better to concentrate on their job. “…Sure.”

For the project, they were assigned to make a sculpture of string musical instruments. Pisti-sensei thought it was amusing to give such difficult task to her students. Rumor had it that she chose the topic by flipping coin on the air, and if she got a head, then their project would be a miniature of iconic buildings across the world.

Their project was already half-done; they had done a lot of work at school with the help of Theatre Club’s and Handcraft’s tools. Now, they only needed to assemble the woods in correct order, which was Alibaba’s job because he knew violin’s part like the back of his hand.

Kougyoku once asked him if he could play it, but Alibaba said that he could not. That made her wonder why he could understand violin so well if he could not play it, yet she could not bring herself to ask after she saw Alibaba’s expression. She thought that she understood it a little, that maybe Alibaba could not play it anymore or Alibaba once knew someone who could play it.

Concentrating on his job, Alibaba did not realize a pair of red eyes was eyeing him carefully. Kouen had a hard time to keep his hands to himself, especially when the boy was pouting slightly as he focused on his job. He lips formed a small smile when Alibaba accidentally messed up with his work, and the smile went wider when the boy got a pinch as his punishment. He hid his smile with his hand quietly, but Kougyoku’s eyes missed none of it, and she unconsciously smiled for his brother’s attitude.

Time passed faster when one did not pay attention. The sky was dark when they were finished, and the other siblings were coming home one by one. Hakuei was the first to arrive home. She was delighted to see a polite young boy like an old lady, which was to be expected. A few minutes later, Koumei entered the house with a small frown marred his face, followed by a very tired Kouha.

Apparently, Hakuei was busy grading her students’ papers at the university, Koumei had to defend a young widow from her husband’s murder case, and Kouha was dragged by his friends to a group date. Kougyoku could guess that Hakuryuu was still working on his project with Aladin. No wonder the house was quiet until a moment ago.

Kougyoku had expected Hakuei’s delight in meeting Alibaba, but to her surprise, even Kouha and Koumei took a liking on Alibaba. Yet, again, Alibaba seemed to attract every kind of person with his sincerity and no-nonsense attitude. One could look at him and knew that he was naïve and kind. They even asked him to call them by their given names, given that it would be very confusing if he calls them ‘Ren-san’ in their household.

“Well then, I’m going home now, Kougyoku. See you tomorrow,” Alibaba rose from his seat after cleaning up the table.

“Eh, would you like to have dinner with us, Alibaba-san?” Hakuei asked politely. He was such a good and charming boy that was rare to find these days. She found his presence calming, like an old friend, which was odd for he was still a stranger to the family.

“It is a tempting invitation, Hakuei-san, but my uncle had asked me to have dinner with him tonight,” he said as he put his things into his bag.

“Such a pity, next time, let’s have dinner together, okay?” Hakuei smiled at him, and Kouen coughed loudly at this. “Of course, with the whole family.” She frowned at her oldest brother.

Alibaba laughed softly at this and nodded his head, “I’ll be happy to eat with all of you. Thank you for the offer. Good night.”

He was taking his coat from the hanger when Kouen said, “I’ll take you home.” His offer stunned everyone on the living room, except Kougyoku, who had seen this coming.

“Eh? Yo- You don’t need to, Kouen-san. My house is not very far from here and-”

“You’re Kougyoku’s friend. Of course we have to take good care of you,” he said. His tone said that it was final, and any refusal on Alibaba’s tongue died when he took out his key. “Come on.”

Alibaba looked rather reluctant, but he nodded and followed the older man. Kougyoku was about to say that she would come along, but a look from Kouen had stopped her from saying anything.

The Ren younger siblings could only stare at the retreating figures and the closing door. They were gaping like a fish, except for Kougyoku who was already praying to all the Gods she knew to protect her friend from his brother.

“What was that again?”

“That’s the first time in history.”

“But Alibaba is too naïve for a high school boy, don’t you think?”

“…Does this mean Alibaba is in danger?”

All became pale, but they did not dare to interrupt whatever plans Kouen had in mind. They only could follow Kougyoku’s sample to pray for Alibaba’s safety and hope their brother would not stoop so low to commit a crime.

“Let’s just have faith in Kouenii…or Alibaba’s ability to run.”

In Kouen’s car, there were two people in awkward silence. Well, the boy felt awkward for not finding a topic to talk about. The man, on the other hand, was enjoying the uncomfortable look on the boy. He decided that the poor boy needed a break, so he played along to ease the boy.

“Alibaba, I heard that you live with your uncle. Is that true?”

Glad that he finally had something to talk about, Alibaba took the bait immediately. “Yes, my parents passed away six years ago. Since then, my uncle is the one who takes care of me…”

“Does he have his own family?”

“No, but I believe he has a lover.”

“You believe?”

“He never said anything to me, so I just keep quiet about my observation as well. I wonder if Kouen-san knows him, he is pretty famous.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Uh-hu. He owns an oil company and his face are plastered on economy magazines.”

 “And his name is…”

“Oh, right! I haven’t mentioned it… It is Sinbad! Ah, turn left after this.”

The name made Kouen’s eyebrows twitch, but Alibaba might have imagined that. Kouen turned left as instructed and a few minutes later, Alibaba informed him that they had arrived. In front of them was a huge mansion, big enough to accommodate dozens of people, decorated with sea-themed topiaries[1].

 “You live here with him?” Kouen asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, but mostly alone since he went away for business trip or cruising for quite a lot of times,” Alibaba answered sheepishly. “Thank you for taking me home, Kouen-san.” Alibaba bowed his head and unbuckled his seat belt.

“Kouen.” His voice was lower than usual.

“Eh?”

Kouen grabbed his hand and kissed him softly on the lips. Alibaba gasped and Kouen took the chance to slip his tongue into the boy’s mouth. While the boy was still stunned, he explored Alibaba’s mouth, memorizing every detail of it. His hand touched Alibaba’s back, bringing them closer, while the other sneakily moved to the boy’s hair. The touch was tender and when Alibaba cannot control the moan that slip through his lips. It took all of Kouen’s control not to push the boy down and took him then and there. After what seemed like forever, Kouen finally let him go and whispered softly into his ear, “Just call me Kouen, Alibaba.”

Alibaba was as red as a ripe tomato, his soft lips were wet and he was panting for breath. He stammered an unintelligible answer and got out from the car like a robot. Kouen chuckled at his antic, but when the boy was unmoving in front of the gate, he rolled his window down and said, “Alibaba, you better get in so you won’t catch a cold.”

The poor boy could only nod absentmindedly and pressed the door bell, still in daze.

Kouen was worried, and he had no one else to blame but himself. With a sigh, he drove back to his home.

When Alibaba got into the living room, he did not realize that his uncle was watching Netflix with a bowl of popcorn.

“Alibaba, good thing you’ve arrived. I’m famished!”

“…”

“… Alibaba?”

Still in daze, Alibaba ignored his bewildered uncle and simply went to his bedroom. He suddenly didn’t feel hungry anymore. He put his bag down and lied down on his bed, and when he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, he dreamt of a soft yet strong touch on his hair and a pair of sharp fiery eyes.

Still on the living room, Sinbad pulled out his phone and called the person on his first speed dial. Once the person answered it, Sinbad immediately said, “Jafar... I think Alibaba is in love…”

“… I see.”

The phone call was briefly cut off.

 

[1] Topiaries: decorative plants that are pruned into fanciful and tasteful shapes.


	2. Chapter 2

[ ](https://dreamingwhilewriting.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/pre-order-seven-meetings-comicfrontier7/)

When Alibaba arrived, the class was rather chaotic. Apparently some of his friends had not finished their homeworks, leaving the class in a big mess of frustrated students. Others had their times to gossip about the newest and juiciest break-ups and other non-sense. He went to his seat, the one that was right beside the window on the third row, greeting Toto and Olba on the way.

Alibaba had just put his bag and barely sat down when Kougyoku and Hakuryuu came into the class. Knowing they would eventually come to his direction, he greeted his red-haired friend cheerfully, "Kougyoku, Hakuryuu, good morning!"

Hakuryuu greeted him as well with a soft smile and went to his seat. Kougyoku, however, did not even bother to put her bag on her seat, which was right behind Alibaba's. Instead, she just dropped it on the boy's desk, leaning toward Alibaba with one of her hands on the table while the other is on her hips. "So, Alibaba-chan, what happened?" Kougyoku asked pointedly.

Alibaba blinked. "What do you mean 'what happened', Kougyoku?" He asked back.

"Yesterday, when you were with Kouennii-san," Kougyoku looked at Alibaba, straight in the eyes, with the interrogation techniques she acquired from some random detective TV series.

"Yesterday…" Alibaba's mind quickly went to the time Kouen kissed him, rather thoroughly. But his mind was interrupted by his friend who shook his shoulder lightly.

"Alibaba, di- did my brother do something to you on the living room? Did he? What did he do? Did he molest you? Please tell me that I'm wrong!" She rambled, almost crying, but she could not be care less about her mental state as Alibaba's purity and chastity was in question.

 _Ah, so it's not about the ride_ , Alibaba sighed inwardly in relief, but he failed to hide his blush, which made Kougyoku even more worried.

"Oh, God, so he did something… Alibaba, what had he done?" She asked with a hysterical cry.

"Kougyoku, he just caressed my cheek." He said sheepishly, scratching his neck.

"Oh… He just… what?!"

"Well, he just caressed my cheek…"

"I heard you, Alibaba-chan, but wha… He caressed your cheek?"

"I thought I’ve just said that…" Sometimes Alibaba wondered if Kougyoku was testing his patience. His response was promptly ignored as Kougyoku was deep in her thought.

 _This is bad_ , Kougyoku thought,  _Kouennii-san never initiated the acts of affection toward his lovers before. To think Kouennii-san did such thing first was…unthinkable, unless he was really interested this time._ She took a glance toward the confused and oblivious Alibaba.

Her friend was a good kid, smart and dependable. The thing was, he was too dense and naïve. While it was adorable, it was also unsafe. If he was left alone in the dark alley, he would be dragged for human trafficking. To most people, it might sound exaggerated, but it almost happened once. It was very fortunate that Masrur-sensei was around and able to help him.

Alibaba learnt his lesson 'Do Not Talk to Strangers' when he was 15. His next lesson, 'Do Not Trust a Man’, was coming next; but, how could he learn it when he himself was a boy? Kougyoku felt so frustrated about her friend's condition and started questioning his uncle's ability in taking care of his nephew.

"Kougyoku!" Alibaba shouted right on her left ear, causing it to ring for good five seconds.

"Why do you have to shout, Alibaba-chan?" She pouted slightly. Maybe it was her fault for not listening, but she was not going to admit it.

"As much as I do not want to disturb your activity in your dreamland, the Yamuraiha-sensei would be happy if you snap out of it and go to your own seat…" Alibaba said while pointing his hand toward their homeroom teacher, who was smiling brilliantly at them.

"Thank you for helping me out, Alibaba-kun," she said, smiling at the boy. "Now, Kougyoku-san, sit down so we can start our lesson!"

"Yes, ma'am," Kougyoku said while going to her own seat, dragging her bag with her. She did not manage to ask about the ride, but she always could do it later.

The class went smoothly, at least for Kougyoku who did not even bother to pretend to pay attention to whatever the teacher said. She was thinking about Kouen and Alibaba, how both of them were acting weird. Alibaba could act like nothing was wrong, and he was a very great actor, but Kougyoku was not fooled. And her brother was acting out of character yesterday after he got back. _Honest to God,_ _Kouennii-san was humming!_ He also asked questions like ‘Do you know what happened to Alibaba’s parents?’ and he muttered about having met Alibaba before.

She could only imagine the worst had happened. If Kouen was indeed interested in Alibaba, Kougyoku was conflicted whether to support or cockblock him. Kouen had many lovers before, but none of them last longer than a month. If he lost his interest in Alibaba and dumped him after he was bored, just like what he had done to his previous lovers, it would definitely make her relationship with Alibaba awkward.

She turned to look at Alibaba, who kept his eyes on the blackboard that was filled with scribbles of alchemist's formula to create the Philosopher stone, or maybe just a basic chemistry formula of magnesium and reagent, she could not tell the differences. The blonde was the first friend she made in high school. She could not bear the thought of losing him; he was the only one aside from her family who could make her feel safe, like he was a part of her family.

She gripped her palm in determination. She did not care if she had to go against her sibling, who had worked so hard for the sake of the family, she would protect her precious friend from the clutch of the sex fiend. She would not let Kouen took Alibaba then threw the boy away like a piece of trash when his feeling fade away. No, the only one who could steal Alibaba from her would be someone who really, really loved the boy and adored him like he was the most precious thing in the world.

She looked at Hakuryuu, who were taking some notes from Yamuraiha’s explanation. It did not take long for Kougyoku to notice the look in her brother's eyes whenever he looked at Alibaba. She thought maybe it could work, after all, she wanted her friend and brother to be happy. But one day of observation, and she could say that they were not meant to be.

Hakuryuu's feeling was a mere shallow crush, she could see how his eyes wondering on the boy's body rather than his eyes when they were talking together. That, and the fact Hakuryuu is too afraid to take his chance to do anything. With a glance she could see the depth of his feeling for Alibaba, which was rather pathetic, really.

She loved Hakuryuu, but she would not help him in this matter. If her silly brother still had the nerve to ask why, she would break his soul by putting an idea called common sense into that idiot's brain through his thick skull.

Kougyoku and Aladin had secretly vowed to protect their golden boy from the persistent bugs. And according to the situation, they would need bug repellent. A lot.

When she saw a familiar car parked in front of the school’s gate and an also-familiar tall figure leaning on the said car like he belonged in this place, one thing that crossed her mind was, 'Why is he here?!'. And when the figure took notice on her presence, he moved slowly toward her.

"Kouennii-san, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be working?" She forced a smile on her beloved brother. Really, she loved him. If only he did not targeting her friend, that was.

Her brother merely sighed and said, "Stop yapping. Where's that brat?"

"That brat, whose name is Alibaba if you care to remember, is doing his club activity right now. So if you are searching for him, you will have to wait for two or three more hours."

"…Then, let's go."

"Huh?"

"Since I have to wait for three hours more, I'd rather do something than nothing."

Kougyoku merely stared at him, did not really understand what he was trying to say. Kouen sighed at his sister. As much as he loved her, she was slow sometimes. "I'm asking you to go home with me, and have some nice tea on the way."

"And why is that?"

"Can't I spend some family time with my sister?"

"I don't think…"

"They say the new café has the perfect Fruit Parfait and Caramel Crème Brûlée."

Before he knew it, his sister was already in the car, putting her seatbelt on.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?"

The older male merely chuckle while he got into the car and started the engine. "Just so you know that treating me some fancy sweets won't make any difference. I am not helping you." She said it nonchalantly, but she knew her brother understood that she was serious.

"I don't have any intention to ask for your help, dear sister."

She gave an unladylike snort. "Yeah, right."

"Is he that important to you that you won't help your own family?"

Kougyoku paused. She looked at her brother, only to find him staring back at her. Thankfully, it was a red light, or else, she would freak out. "You've talked to him, you answer it."

Kouen looked away, focusing his eyes on the road. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He kept on driving silently that Kougyoku thought the conversation was over. "But I don't think I want to give him up."

"Why?" Kouen did not answer. He kept on driving, turning here and there in silence. Kougyoku knew it was impossible to continue the talk when he was driving. His brother did not like to talk about serious matter when he was behind the wheels, he did not want to risk a careless mistake that will lead to an accident. So, Kougyoku did the right thing, she kept her mouth shut. After all, Fruit Parfait and Caramel Crème Brûlée are waiting for her.

"So, why?"

"Huh?"

"In the car, you said you don't want to give up. Why?"

Here they were, sitting casually at the corner of Noir Café, menu on hands and ready to order something, but his sister chose to ignore the waiter beside them and pursued the ignored question in the car. The intentionally ignored question, to be exact. Why, she asked, but the answer was really simple actually. "I'll have black coffee and chicken sandwich," Kouen said to the long haired waiter, Cassim, who seemed very thankful that he did not have to hear their private matter. There was something about the waiter that seemed vaguely familiar, but it was rather unlikely so Kouen shrugged it off of his mind.

Kougyoku merely scowled at him, but complied on his unspoken request. "Rainbow Fruit Parfait and Caramel Crème Brûlée for me. And iced lemon tea."

The waiter wrote down their orders and walked away smoothly. His tense shoulders seemed relieved on each step he took. When he was out of sight, Kougyoku stared at his brother, waiting for the answer of the ignored question.

"You are his friend, you know the answer."

"I don't know… I want to know whether you are thinking what I am thinking or just too lazy to think for the answer."

"Right…" He sighed, looking at the street for a while, before looking back at his sister. "The truth is, I don't know." He waited for Kougyoku's response, but when he got none, he continued, "I don't even know him, but I want to keep him beside me."

She frowned in dissatisfaction. "That's not a good enough reason."

"I know. But I can't say I love someone when I don't even know him that well." His brother looked at her in the eyes, sincerity filled his crimson eyes. "I can't say I fell in love at the first sight. I'm almost thirty, Kougyoku. I'm too old for some cheesy drama." He took a small breath and released a small tired chuckle. "I don't know what it is… but I am intrigued, no… captivated…"

After he let it out, his brother seemed tired and a little lost. Kougyoku reached out to take his hand before she could stop herself. This was the first time she saw him like this. She could bet on all of her savings, which was not **that** much but that was not the point, that this was also the very first time her brother felt it. She never knew his brother was such a late bloomer.

"Kouennii," she called out. She waited until he looked at her. "You are old enough to realize what it is that you are feeling. But, I'm still not helping you."

"Is it because I'm a jerk and a sex fiend that broke people's heart all the time?"

"Oh, how do you know?"

"You called me that four years ago." He chuckled at the memory.

Now that he mentioned it, she might have said, or yelled, something like that at one point. "And then you stopped bringing girls at home."

"In fact, dear sister, I stopped dating after that."

"What?! You?! I can’t believe you."

"You can believe what you want, Kougyoku."

"And I'm still not helping you."

"And I said, I have no intention to ask for your help."

"Do I have to pay for my sweets now?"

He chuckled softly. "No, I'm still paying."

"Good, 'cause I don't bring more than 2000 yen right now."

"Hmm… Maybe I should just let you treat me once in awhile…"

"Eh, no way!"

Alibaba was tired. He had spent 8 hours to study and 3 hours for activity that he was not sure would be useful for his future. He dragged his tired legs on his way home when his shoulder was suddenly grabbed by a big hand.

"Hey, I was calling for you."

“Wh-”

Startled, he slapped the hand and jumped behind. He looked up to find Kouen was standing in front of him. "What was that for?" Kouen frowned at his reaction.

"Ah, sorry… I had bad experience of being grabbed suddenly." He felt uneasy talking with the red-haired man. After all, it was not every day that an older man suddenly kissed the light out of you.

"Such as?"

"It was stupid… You'll laugh…"

Kouen merely raised an eyebrow. "Try me."

"I was almost kidnapped when I walked home… I was grabbed at my shoulder, just like that, and they tied my hands. Thankfully, a teacher passed by and saw the whole thing, so I was saved."

Pause. Then a snort.

"I've told you, you'll laugh…" He pouted a little.

"I'm sorry, but you were almost kidnapped when you are in high school…"

"It's still scary, you know." He pouted even more. Kouen chuckled a little bit more.

"Next time you go home late, don't space out. Or rather, don't go home late alone."

"But I'm a boy."

"And you're almost kidnapped."

Alibaba blushed at the comment. "Here I thought you were a good guy," he muttered lowly in defeat, pouting all the way.

"I am, so I'm offering you a ride." When he saw Alibaba got tense, he knew what the boy was thinking. The boy was too easy to read. "I'm not going to do anything to you." The blond sighed in relief immediately, muttering how he did not think about such thing, but Kouen was not finished yet. "But I can't promise you anything if you keep pouting like that."

Alibaba immediately blushed and bit his lips in attempt to prevent himself from pouting. But really, it only made him look more irresistible. Yet, if Kouen did something now, he would definitely regret it.

"Come on."

The ride was just as awkward as their first, but Kouen glad he could steal a glance or two at the boy. When he almost arrived to the mansion, he realized the boy was sound asleep. He could wake him up, but the poor boy seemed too tired. So he did what he thought the right thing to do, he brought him home. His siblings would be delighted.

Alibaba woke up in an unfamiliar room. He did not remember there was a room like this one in his uncle’s house. The wall has dark red wallpaper with golden pattern. It was too red for Alibaba’s taste, and he was sure Sinbad would not decorate a room with such colour. He would never put a bookcase in a bedroom too, yet there were two in this room, which were filled with thick, horrible – cough, difficult, cough – books. So Alibaba concluded that he was either sleepwalking and accidentally barged in to someone else’s house or kidnapped. Both sounded very unlikely to happen.

As if in cue, Kouen entered the room with a tray on his left hand. He looked handsome in his gray shirt and dark blue pants, but Alibaba did not think that. No, Alibaba could not even think when those crimson eyes were directed at him. They made him feel nervous, his cheeks would feel hot and his mouth would not be able to form proper sentences.

“So you are awake...” Kouen said as he came closer to the bed, putting the tray on the nightstand on Alibaba’s right side. “I brought you dinner.”

“Y-you can wake me up, Kouen-san, I shouldn’t have intrude your family’s supper time.”

“Non-sense. My siblings were thrilled when we arrived. Their only disappointment was you cannot eat with them because you were still napping.” Kouen liked the way he said it, it felt like Alibaba belonged to his family. “Besides...” Alibaba looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish his sentence. Those eyes were shining so beautifully, the boy did not know how Kouen wanted to stare at them forever.

“Kouen-san?”

How many minutes have passed since he stared at the golden eyes and rosy lips? Kouen almost forgot what he was supposed to say. “Besides,” he continued, remembering what he was supposed to say, “I am not so evil that I would wake a tired brat up from his peaceful slumber.”

Alibaba processed what Kouen said, then realized he was the kid. “I’m not a brat anymore.”

“You are.”

“I’m not!”

“You are. If you pout, you’re still a brat.”

“I’m not pouting…”

“Then what does your lips do right now…” The sentence died out as he stared at Alibaba’s lips, pouting so cutely in front of him, begging to be kissed. Kouen wanted to lick those plump lips, biting, nibbling, sucking…

“Kouen-san?”

“Yes?” His voice was deeper and huskier than before, sending chills to Alibaba’s spine. But, the weird thing was, Alibaba did not mind the sensation. Not even when Kouen’s palm sneakily found its way to his face, stroking his cheek softly. Alibaba could feel his heartbeat racing faster and faster, his cheeks started to burn, but he felt so light like he was floating.

“Aaaaaand, stop right there you two!” Kougyoku broke in to the room. “Especially you, Kouennii-san!” She pointed at her brother accusingly. At her request, Kouen dropped his hand with a frown on his face, while Alibaba whined at the sudden lost of warmth. Before he realized it, he put his hands over his mouth to cover that unmanly sound.

“What is it Kougyoku? I’ve told you to stop barging into somebody’s room.”

“I wouldn’t if you didn’t start doing that thing!”

“What thing, sister?” Kouen stared at him blankly. “And since when did you have this kind of hobby?”

“Hobby? What hobby?”

Kouen sighed broodingly. “My sister likes to eavesdrop on people’s conversations. I think I have failed my parents’ expectation.”

“Don’t you start that speech, again!” Kougyoku covered her ears with her hands so tightly that it could crush someone’s skull.

“What speech, my dear sister? It’s a loving lecture from a loving brother.”

“What do you mean loving?! You don’t even have the right to say the first syllable of that L-word!!”

Alibaba watched in fascination at their bantering and giggled lightly at their exchanges.

“Alibaba-chan, don’t laugh! We’re having a very serious fight here!” Kougyoku shrieked at him.

Alibaba still laughed at them, he laughed so hard that his eyes started to water. He tried to tune his laughter down, and chuckling softly. “But, Kougyoku, isn’t it wonderful to have siblings that you can have a fight with?”

“Eh?” Kougyoku stared at him, dumbfounded. However, Kouen looked at Alibaba so softly, as if he understood what Alibaba was thinking.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…”

“Alibaba-chan… What is it?”

“Ever since I lost all of my... my parents and my brothers... I always wonder how it would be to have them with me. They used to be pretty mean, but I still think that maybe, if they grow out of it...” Alibaba forced a laugh as he scratched his head. “So I always like it, you know, seeing how siblings act with each other… I’m sorry, just forget that I’ve said anything.”

Kouen moved closer to his bed and sat down beside Alibaba. He ruffled Alibaba’s hair softly, “Don’t worry, you can always think my annoying siblings as yours.”

“That’s right Alibaba, I’ll be your sister!” Kougyoku said cheerfully, missing the smirk on Kouen’s lips.

Alibaba blushed so hard at the affection he received that he wanted to dig a hole on the ground and bury himself.

“Aw~ Alibaba-chan is blushing~” Kougyoku teased him as she giggled at his antic.

“Well… It’s just… I’m not used to this… I…” He stammered. Kouen’s hand was stroking his hair so softly that he cannot concentrate on trivial things.

“Not used to what, Alibaba?” Kouen said beside him.

“Eh… ” Alibaba could not think! He could not even find his own voice. He wanted to stop Kouen from stroking his hair so he could talk normally, but he did not want to lose his touch. He did not even hear Kougyoku clearing her throat so loudly beside them.

“What is it, Alibaba?” Kouen continue stroking Alibaba’s soft golden hair. It was so soft and comforting Kouen would not mind doing it forever… … … _Right, I barely know this brat and I already think about forever._ The old Kouen would not even think of tomorrow with other women. He was getting weird. And he liked it.

Alibaba started, “I’m not used with…” What was the right word? “touches…” He mumbled. He thought something was wrong with his choice of word. Especially, when he looked up and found Kouen smirking devilishly at him. Which made him looked sexier, but Alibaba certainly did not think that.

Kougyoku cleared her throat again, and it was louder than before.

“Touches, huh…” Kouen said as his fingers trailed from Alibaba’s hair, down to his neck and shoulder, enjoying the shudder he elicited from the boy, and found their way to Alibaba’s hand. “Do you hate it when I do this?”

“No…” Alibaba said breathlessly, looking straight to Kouen’s eyes.

“How about this?” Kouen held Alibaba’s hand tightly yet gently.

“N-…” Alibaba lost his voice when that big and warm hand envelope his smaller one, so he shook his head weakly while staring at those deep red eyes.

Kouen slowly interlocked his fingers with Alibaba’s. He raised their intertwined hands so Alibaba could look at them clearly. “Then, how about this? Do you mind if I do this?” It came out as a husky whisper, making Alibaba grew uncomfortably excited for some unknown reasons that he dared not to seek.

Kougyoku cleared her throat again, and it was even impossibly louder than before. Kouen turned to look at his sister with an annoyed look. “Kougyoku, it seems like you got a sore throat. Go get a medicine and get the hell out of here.”

“But dear brother, you are a doctor. You should examine my throat before it getting worse.”

“And dear sister, I think you got that illness because this room is too cold and dry for you. You will be healed immediately if you get out.”

And she did. She wanted to argue so her friend did not get eaten so fast, but the look in his eyes were VERY scary. Before she realized it, she was already outside her brother’s bedroom and went to her own bedroom. If she knew her brother could hypnotize someone, she would have search for a barrier first! Like Hakuryuu, or Koumei...

“Kouen-san...”

“Yes, Alibaba?”

“Our hands...” Alibaba looked down at their interlocking fingers shyly. He did not mind it at all, and that was the problem. He should mind it. After all, he was brought here without his consent and holding hand with someone he barely knew. And as if it was not enough, it was a man.

He did not mind gay people. His uncle was one, alright. But he was not gay. Was he not? Sure he did not get much muscle like their sport teacher, Masrur, but that did not mean he was feminine. But again, not all gay men were feminine.

“Do you mind it?” Kouen asked slowly. He sounded hurt, or hesitant, which did not suit him.

“No! That’s not it! It’s just...” he paused as he looked at the ignored food, “my dinner is getting cold. I can’t eat if you keep holding my hand...”

“I see...” There was a hint of relief in his voice, and it made Alibaba feel ticklish. Kouen unexpectedly had a very cute side and Alibaba wanted to see more of it. While Alibaba was still busy in his thought, Kouen had brought the plate with him and scooped the meal. “Here.”

“Yes?” Alibaba blinked at the picture before him. Kouen, with his blank look, was feeding him. And that was it. Alibaba laughed so hard that he rolled back and forth on Kouen’s bed.

“What’s so funny?” Kouen looked at him, clearly confused of the sudden laugh, but it only made Alibaba laughed harder. Getting impatient, he put down the plate back on the table and get on the bed, towering Alibaba and effectively trapping the golden boy with both of his hands. Alibaba’s laughter died immediately. “Now, be a good boy and tell me or,” he lower his face that it was only a centimetre from Alibaba’s, “I’ll kiss you senselessly.”

Alibaba gave a manly shriek. “I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you!”

Kouen frowned at his reaction. Was he that bad of a kisser? “What’s with that reaction? You hate me kissing you so much?”

“No. It’s not like that...” Alibaba played with his fingers as he looked away. “But it’s embarrassing...”

“Then, I’ll kiss you so many times that you won’t feel embarrassed anymore.”

There was a pause.

“Eh?”

Before he realized it, Kouen’s lips were already touching his own lips. Kouen sucked those plump rosy lips gently, nibbling and teasing them, causing Alibaba to lose his mind. Kouen’s lips were so soft and hot, Alibaba would not mind if he melted. Alibaba’s hands were moving by themselves and found a comfortable place behind Kouen’s neck, pulling Kouen’s hair and holding him even closer. Sensing approval, Kouen’s hand started to caress Alibaba’s navel, causing the younger one to moan loudly. Kouen deepened their kiss and started exploring Alibaba’s mouth as Alibaba tried to copy his movement shyly. As the need of oxygen became more urgent, they released each others’ mouth.

Alibaba’s was blushing furiously. His eyes were unfocused and dreamy, his breath was ragging and heavy, and his lips were a little bit swollen and red. He looked delicious, very delicious, and he did not realize it because he was too busy staring at the man in front of him. The man with ruffled hair, eyes filled with need, with flushed cheeks and swollen lips, just like him.

As he regained his breath, Kouen leaned down again. But Alibaba pushed him away.

“Wait!”

“What is it?”

“We’re getting this mixed up!”

“... What do you mean?”

“Shou-Shouldn’t we, you know, holding hand first, then go on first dates, have the first hug, second dates and first kiss???!!!! Bu-But you skipped the rest of it and kissed me twice!!”

“We did holding hands...”

“AFTER you kissed me!”

Kouen sighed. That boy did have his point. Besides, now that Kouen thought about it, he never really thought about the chronological order of courting someone. While the boy underneath him did not seemed bothered by his method, he had to respect his lover’s wish, well, his lover-to-be.

Kouen looked at those golden doe-eyes before him. “Stop staring at me with those puppy eyes or I’ll attack you again.”

Alibba immediately looked away, mumbling, “It’s not my fault if you lack self-control...”

Tempted to tease him, Kouen whispered right on Alibaba’s ear, “Indeed, I’m lacking of self-control... So don’t tempt me even further.” He bit the earlobe softly, causing Alibaba to jump in surprise.

Alibaba glared at him with teary eyes, which was not come convincing at all. “Kouen-san, you meany...”

Kouen get up from the bed and chuckled at him, causing Alibaba to pout even more. When he saw the abandoned meal, he looked at Alibaba and said, “Sorry.”

“Eh?”

“Now your food is truly cold.”

Paused. Then Alibaba laughed at him, again.

_‘Seriously, what is wrong with this kid?’_

His face must have expressed his thought as Alibaba stopped his laughter and said, “You are more thoughtful than I thought...”

“Having five younger siblings certainly makes someone cares about small things.” Kouen started feeding him, ignoring Alibaba’s protest. Having no other choice, Alibaba complied with a small frown.

“That’s true…”

“Right. Eat up, so I can drive you back.”

“You’re driving me back?”

“I literally kidnap you, so as a good kidnaper, I have to bring you back safely.”

Alibaba laughed at his answer. “But I haven’t paid any ransom.”

“You are going to pay it later,” Kouen thought about the ransom for a while, and he came up with a brilliant idea, “with a date.”

“Date??”

“Yeah, we’re going on a date.” Kouen smirked at him.

“Eh? Why?”

“You said that if I want to kiss you, I have to do the chronological order.”

Alibaba was baffled. Kouen wanted to kiss him so badly that he asked Alibaba to go to a date. So Kouen just wanted to kiss him. “I’m not going.”

Kouen paused at the response. He did not think Alibaba would refuse him. “…Why?”

“If you want to kiss someone that badly, you can ask other people. I don’t go on a date with someone just to get a kiss.”

Kouen, who had been holding his own breath and wait for the hate word, released his worries in one breath. It was just a misunderstanding after all. He put down the finished meal on the nightstand and looked earnestly on Alibaba’s eyes. “Alibaba,” Kouen said as he grabbed both of Alibaba’s shoulder, “I’m not going on a date with you so I can kiss you.”

“But you said…”

“I want to go on a date with you so I can kiss you and date you, and do more things together.” While that was not wrong, it sure sounded so.

“Okay…” Alibaba was unsure; just like anyone would be. Apparently, Kouen was not very eloquent with words.

Kouen sighed, “What I mean is, I want to go out with you. So, why don’t we go on a date together?”

“Kouen-san, you sure are awkward.” But Alibaba laughed softly, so it should be a good sign.

“If I were good with words, I would be a poet and writing love poem instead of being a doctor.” Kouen grunted.

“Oh, but Kougyouku said you had years of experience in romance,” Alibaba said, perhaps with a hint of resentment.

“That Kougyouku,” Kouen said with a deep frown, “what else did she say about it?”

“Err, basically, something about you were a playboy?”

 _‘Great. Just great.’_ Kouen thought of her image laughing so loudly and mockingly at him. But getting his revenge was not important now as he had to clear the idea out of Alibaba’s mind.

“It’s true that I had a lot of lovers in the past, but,” Kouen looked at Alibaba’s eyes, “it was when was much younger and foolish. I don’t even have a lover in the past years, so…” Kouen thought of what he should say. ‘ _So, what? So, don’t worry about me dumping you? So, don’t get the wrong idea because I will cherish you?’_ He could not possibly say such empty words.

“You had a lot of lovers back then, but that seems normal for someone like you… I mean, you are smart, handsome, dependable… But, I wonder if you treated them with respect.”

“I don’t know…”

“You don’t know?”

“I was a young, self-centred man who did not care for anyone but me and my family. Wait, I think I still am.”

“... I see... Well, thank God then.”

“Huh?” Kouen raised his eyebrow, asking for explanation.

 “I appreciate your honesty. Tomorrow is Saturday, right? Bring me somewhere nice to have fun.” Alibaba smiled at the man before him. The way Kouen’s eyes lit up made him seems younger than his usual self.

Kouen coughed a little to push down his excitement, “Well, have you finished your meal?”

“Yup!”

“Good, it’s time for you to go home.”

He was surprised someone like Kouen would be that happy for going on a date with a scrawny boy like him. But he was just as happy as Kouen, did that mean he was starting to like Kouen?


	3. Chapter 3

[ ](https://dreamingwhilewriting.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/pre-order-seven-meetings-comicfrontier7/)

“You bastard...” Sinbad growled lowly as he glared at a certain red-haired man, “Explain to me clearly, what are you doing on my property!?”

“Sinbad, lack of tact as usual...” Kouen sighed. This is the exact reason he did not want to go inside. Unfortunately, as a gentleman (at least, from Kougyoku’s and Hakuei’s perspective), he had to pick up his date and wait for them like a good puppy. “I wonder how you deal with annoying business partners when you are this temperamental...”

“You are more infuriating than any other human beings in this world. Now state your business immediately before I make you disappear without any trace.”

“Is that a threat?” Kouen knew he should just state his business and be done with it, but he would never miss an opportunity to annoy the other man. He certainly did, if the twitch on Sinbad’s eyebrow was any indication.

“It’s a promise and friendly advice.”

“You do realize that if I suddenly disappear without any trace, as you put it, there will be a family who lose their main economy support. There are also sick people who need me to take care of them. I wonder how your nephew would feel if he knows about it.”

“Ugh!”

“Besides, I come here to pick up my date, so kindly move aside.”

“Someone actually wants to date you? They must have a very bad taste.”

“Well, well... Alibaba... It seems like your uncle has just insulted you.” Kouen raised an eyebrow as he looked at the young boy who was finally able to push his uncle aside to greet his date. Sinbad did not realize the meaning of Kouen’s word until it was too late.

 “It seems so, Kouen-san.” Alibaba said as he looked at Kouen with a smile. He decided to tease his uncle a little as he rarely had the chance to do so.

“Alibaba?” Sinbad looked at the pair miserably.

“I’ll be back before the curfew!”

Kouen took Alibaba’s hand and lead him away as they heard Sinbad’s unintelligible voice. Alibaba’s shoulder shook with laughter as he walk and when they reached Kouen’s car, he finally could not hold it anymore. Alibaba laughed so hard that his eyes started to water a little. Kouen simple chuckled lightly as he enjoyed the beautiful sound from the younger boy. The laughter soothed him like glass bells chimed in summer. As he started the engine, he took a look at the boy, which he had not had the chance to do before.

Alibaba was wearing a simple white V-neck cotton shirt with mauve vest that has golden fern pattern. He wore black pants and white leather shoes that looked it had been polished recently, and Kouen hoped this date was the reason.

As Kouen focused on driving again, Alibaba sneaked a glance on his date. Kouen wore a simple long-sleeved black shirt and deep maroon tie. The tie is not the same shade as Alibaba’s vest, but close enough. He was glad that he called a certain friend to give him clothing advice last night. The beige pants gave the impression of longer legs, not that Kouen needed it. Alibaba would definitely stare longer if Kouen did not clear his throat.

“Alibaba, if you keep staring at me like that, we might not reach the place that I originally planned...”

“Oh? Where are we going?”

“...” Kouen originally planned to go to a gallery then head to a five-star restaurant, but Kougyoku, being threatened as she was to spill the truth and only truth, said that it was a ‘big no-no’ and a ‘big turn-off’ because it was like dating a sugar daddy. So Kouen, against his previous statement (Reference: Chapter 2), humbly asked her opinion of a date for someone her age. Seeing how Kouen, who never backed down from his own words actually did it for his date with Alibaba, Kouyoku reluctantly agreed.

“Kouen-san?”

“Yeah?”

“It is green.”

That was when Kouen realized some cars had been honking like crazy behind him. He supposed he had to concentrate more on the road. He started the engine as fast as he could while ignoring the blare of a choir behind him.

“So, where are we going? You haven’t answered the question, and kind of tuned me out...”

“... Sorry...” He could not possibly tell that he was thinking how he asked for his sister’s advice for a date, could he?

“Are you okay? Do you need to take a rest? Should we really go to a date?”

“Yes, we should.” The reply came out before he realized it, so he cleared his throat to cover his embarrassment, “I’m alright, Alibaba. I just remembered something...”

“Oh, did you forget something?”

“You look good.”

“Eh?”

“I forgot to say that.”

Alibaba felt his blood rising to his face as he replied, “You, you look good too...”

And Alibaba forgot his question for the rest of the ride.

When Kouen parked his car, Alibaba could not believe his eyes. He blinked once, twice, to make sure he was not imagining things. They were going to a public aquarium. He thought Kouen was the classy type who would go to a painting gallery or having a candle light dinner with wine and cheese. However, he was not complaining, not at all.

Kouen seemed to notice his expression, though. “You don’t like this place?”

There was a hint of disappointment on his tune, so Alibaba quickly denied his assumption, “No!” In softer tune he said shyly, “It’s been a while since I’ve been here...”

“So it’s... good?”

“Yup! Let’s go!”

Kouen took Alibaba’s hand and lead him to the locket, appreciating the flush on the blond’s face. “Let’s.”

So absorbed in their own little world, they did not realize some figures were watching over them on the corner.

Apparently, Kouen had bought the ticket beforehand so they could avoid the long line. As they entered the place, many people had already filled the space and been enjoying the beautiful sight before them.

“Look at them, they are so pretty!” Alibaba said excitedly as he pointed some groups of tropical fishes. Kouen simply stared at the fishes with unchanging expression, giving a simple hum or grunt for response. Even as Alibaba pointed a Mola mola, his stoic face remained...stoic. Feeling uncomfortable with the silence, Alibaba look at the man with a frown marring his face. “Kouen-san... Do you enjoy this place?”

“Hmm, why?”

“You have been very quiet since we arrive here...”

 _‘It is because you look so cute when you get excited over stupid fish and if I don’t control myself, I probably will do something stupid like kissing you here and now and you will get pissed off’_ , was what Kouen thought as he kept his deadpanned expression. However, he wisely said, “I am enjoying the view.”

“Oh? Which fish do you think is the cutest one?”

 _‘A mermaid, who had turned into a human and is staring at me questioningly with eyes like liquid jewel.’_ “Puffer fish.” He mentioned a name of random fish as the said fish was swimming in front of him.

“Yes, I thought so too! They are very cute, but can protect themselves well! It is wonderful to see such tiny creatures could be so strong...” Alibaba sighed as he stared at the said fish.

 _‘No. Look at me again with those beautiful ey- STOP! When did I become such a mushy man?’_ Kouen was beating himself repeatedly on his head that he almost missed some familiar figures across their position. The said figures hurriedly moved to find a new hiding place, but Kouen would not miss the familiar hair.

“Kouen?”

“Hmm?”

“Where are we going next?”

“Do you want to see the dolphin show?”

“Sure!”

It was near lunch time when they arrived to the show. The place was crowded and packed that they almost did not find any empty seat. The only empty place was the front side, which was infamous for getting people wet.

“At least we can get the best view!” Alibaba tried to look at the positive side.

As they sat down to watch the show, Kouen paid more attention to their surroundings. Undeniably, there were two familiar figures with one that he cannot recognize following them, and if Kouen suspected correctly, they might have done it since he arrived. Kouen sighed inwardly as he contemplated his life and his choices. _I have spoiled them too much..._

A loud sound from the stage called Kouen’s attention back to reality. The show was entertaining and interactive, as the dolphin jumped and spun on the air, causing splatter of water washed some people on the front seat, including both of them. Near the end of the show, the kids are given a chance to hand feed the dolphin. Alibaba looked excitedly at the stage, his eyes were sparkling with enthusiasm.

“Do you want to join the feeding session?”

“But, it is for children... And-”

“So what? You are still a brat. Join them and have fun.” Kouen nudged him toward the stage and that was the only encouragement Alibaba needed. He ran forward and started feeding the animals alongside the children. Kouen sighed as he stared at Alibaba’s brilliant smile, and he asked himself aloud, “Seventeen, huh?”

Kouen has asked a lot of question to himself. Sometimes they were stupid and petty like, “What clothes should I wear today?” or “What kind of gift that will make Kougyoku happy?” However, there are times when his questions were quite serious like, “Did I raise my siblings well, father?” or “Am I doing this correctly, mother?” But, ever since he met Alibaba, they turned more worrisome like, “Isn’t he too young?” or simply “Why him?” in general. He never really got the answers, but it seemed today was the day the supreme power decided to answer him.

“You are turning into a pervert...”

“Kougyoku...”

“Since when do you realize I’m following you?”

“Since the beginning, with Hakuryuu and another boy.”

Kougyoku had her haired put in a ponytail as she wore a black long coat and knee-high boots. She also had a pair of sunglasses that she tucked into her breast pocket. “So you’ve found out.”

“What are you doing here, aside from the obvious?”

“Hakuryuu wants some proof that you actually like Alibaba, not just lusting for him...” She said as she cocked her head to the right, indicating the two boys’ location.

Kouen almost choked on his own spit, “Lusting?”

“Well, not in exact word, but that’s the main point. He thinks you are turning into an old pervert.”

“And...?”

Kougyoku looked at her brother mischievously, “I think he’s right.”

Kouen frowned at her, “I’m not old.”

“But you are a pervert?”

Kouen was reminded on how he kissed Alibaba twice, tasting the boy’s taste intimately, so he simply shrugged his shoulder.

“Ugh! I’ve told you to not touch him! Bad Kouen-nii!”

Kouen pinched her cheek affectionately, “You are hilarious.”

As soon as Kougyoku’s cheek was released, she rubbed them slowly. She pouted at her brother and mumbled lowly.

“What is it?”

“Alibaba is coming back, I’ll see you at home!” She retreated as fast as she could without looking suspicious.

Kouen could only snort in amusement as he looked at her antics. He waited for Alibaba and took the boy’s hand again. It was amazing how it felt so natural for him to do it, and how Alibaba did not seem mind or uncomfortable at the contact. “Let’s find something to eat.”

“Sure, how about sandwich? I’ve seen a sandwich booth outside that smells really good.”

They were on their way to Alibaba’s house again when they boy started fidgeting on his seat. The boy always wore his heart on his sleeve, it was not hard to guess what he was feeling.

“Alibaba? What’s wrong?”

“I’ve been waiting to ask this for a while...” he started nervously as he looked at Kouen’s eyes with his puppy eyes, “How do you know my uncle?”

“You wait for a whole day to ask me that? Why didn’t you ask me sooner?”

“I didn’t want to ruin the mod because I thought... that you two were dating and-”

Kouen hit the brake immediately and stared wide-eyed on the blond. Thankfully, the street was empty or someone might crash his car for his sudden stop.  “You thought that I...” Kouen could not finish the sentence as it would definitely crawl on his mind and haunt his night. If Alibaba saw his expression, he might want to take a picture for future blackmail, but luckily the boy casted his gaze down.

“You seemed close, but jabbing on each other...”

“Sinbad was my senior in my university and a friend of my roommate. I think they were dating now.”

“You were roommates with Jafar-san?”

“So they’re dating. That man spent every single day in our room, and I had to kick him out with every single method I had in mind. He is annoying, so I try to annoy him just as much in return.”

“That’s it?”

Kouen grunt in reply. He started his engine again and continued his duty to bring Alibaba home. It only took him five minutes to reach the destination.

“I have fun today, Kouen-san.”

“Good to hear that, I brought you out so we can have fun after all.” Kouen patted his head softly and Alibaba giggled in response.

“Thank you...”

“You’re welcome.” Kouen waited for Alibaba to open the door, but Alibaba simply stared at him nervously, “Alibaba?”

Alibaba moves closer to him and gave a little peck on his cheek. “Good night...” He smiled softly as he opened the door and went to the building.

Kouen could not process everything, he must be dreaming as he simply sat there on his seat. He was kissed, a simple peck, something done in elementary school, and he turned stupid over it.  He could feel his cheek burning, “I’m so screwed...”

Kouen went to his room and he found Kougyoku had made herself comfortable on his bed. Kouen raised his eyebrows on her, asking what her business was.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yeah,” he paused as he thought about it, “thank you. For the advice.”

Kougyoku looked at him with a serious look on her eyes.

“You like him.” Kouen simply gave her a blank look, which she ignored. “And he likes you.” She paused and gave a show as if she was thinking of how to save the Earth from global warming. “I’ll let you date him, or maybe become his boyfriend, but if you hurt him physically and emotionally, there will be hell to pay.”

“Now you decide to give me ‘the talk’? Didn’t you say you don’t want to help me?” He undid his tie and shirt as he tried to find a more comfortable T-shirt.

“I want you and Alibaba to be happy... happier.”

“What about Hakuryuu? I thought he didn’t want me to get closer to the brat?”

“He had his chance and wasted it. I had given him the talk, I wouldn’t worry about him if I were you.”

“Oh?” Kouen sat on the bed too as he brought a novel with him.

“Hakuryuu is a good boy, but he is still a boy. He doesn’t think about love, he simply wants Alibaba because Alibaba is cute.” Kougyoku explained carefully to her older brother. She enjoyed the murdering look on his face, and she knew Alibaba would be in a good hand.

Kouen grunted at that. “What about the other boy that came with you today?”

“Oh, are you talking about Aladdin? He’s a friend. Not every boy is your rivals, you know...”

“If it’s that brat, everything is possible. That brat is as dense as a brick, you have to shove the truth to his face.”

“That’s true.” Kougyoku sighed. “Oh, what did you do to him when you first met? He told me that you caressed his cheek, but knowing you, there must be something else...”

Kouen pondered as he opened his novel, and decided to give her the truth. “I kissed him when I take him home.”

“You what??!!!”

“He is rather inexperienced for a high school boy.”

“It’s his first kiss, you sex-fiend!”

Kouen was surprised, but he was very pleased nonetheless with the information. “Hmm. Now, get out of my room.” Kougyoku was not very happy about it, but it was done and there was nothing she could do about it. She stomped out of his room and slammed the door. Kouen chuckled as he thought of Alibaba’s expression when he was kissed for the first time. “Cute.”


	4. Chapter 4

[ ](https://dreamingwhilewriting.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/pre-order-seven-meetings-comicfrontier7/)

 “Morning!” Alibaba greeted to no one in particular as he walked in to the classroom.

“Alibaba-chan~” Aladin greeted him with a wide grin. “Did something good happen on the weekend?”

“... Eh? Why?”

 “You are, what’s the right word, glowing.”

Unsure of how the boy would react if he tells the truth, Alibaba simply shrugged. “It’s a secret!”

Aladdin pouted at him, but let it passed. He already knew the truth but he wanted his friend to tell it anyway, and when Alibaba was ready, the older boy would definitely tell him. “Kougyoku is late, don’t you think?”

Just after Aladdin finished his sentence, Kougyoku opened the door with a cheerful “Morning!” with Hakuryuu following her behind. She waltzed through her seat and beamed at boys. “When we walk to the class, I overhear the teachers talked about a new student, and I found 10,000 yen on the hallway. Today seems to be a good day, isn’t it?”

It seemed that Kougyoku spoke alien and the meaning of her words seemed to be lost in translation.

Just as they talked about the homework, Yamuraiha-sensei came in with a crimson-haired girl. She has strong built and a pair of stern and emotionless eyes framed with eye-liner. If she did not wear a school uniform at the moment, she might be mistaken as a professional bodyguard.

“Class, today we have a new student joining us. Her name is Morgiana Fanalis. She’s just transferred from Hokaido because of family business. Also, she is Masrur-sensei’s little sister, so if you bully her, you already know the consequence.” She smiled brightly at her students, since she knew none of them had the bullying tendency. But giving a little warning could not hurt, right? “Morgiana-chan, where do you want to sit?”

Morgiana walked toward the chair right beside Alibaba, that was currently very occupied by a big male student named Bhrol.

“I want to sit here.”

Yamuraiha laughed nervously. “Morgiana-chan, that one is occupied. How about that one, just a little on the back?”

Morgiana shook her head. “I want to sit here.” She repeated to Yamuraiha-sensei. Then she looked at Bhrol again with the same cold eyes. “Move.”

Bhrol magically sat on the back after that.

“Well, I suppose that settles it... Now, open your book at page 137! We have a lot to cover today.”

Alibaba looked at the odd student who insisted to sit beside him.  She looked like a normal teenager girl, but she had the air of a professional. Of what, Alibaba was not sure. Morgiana seemed to notice his stare as she turned toward him. Alibaba was surprised, but he did not jump so he gave an imaginary pat for himself on the back.

“Hi, I’m Alibaba. Nice to meet you, Morgiana-san.”

“...Nice to meet you too, Alibaba-san.”

 _She does not seem bad_ , Alibaba thought. _A little bit expressionless, but definitely not a bad person._

Today seemed to be a good day, after all.

It was not a good day. Scratched that, it was downright a horrible day.

Morgiana stalked him. Morgiana, the new and stoic girl, stalked him, everywhere. Alibaba was not sure if he somehow made her mad and this was her way of payback. Or perhaps, she was just that odd. It was lunch break when Alibaba gathered his guts and blurted at her.

“Morgiana-san, why are you following me?”

She cocked her head. “I’m not following you.”

“You were obviously waiting outside when I went to the toilet.”

“... I’m not following you.”

“... Are you a robot?”

She blinked. “I’m not a robot.”

Alibaba decided that she must be a robot.

Alibaba’s personal stalker continued her activity until the end of school. Kougyoku and Aladdin seemed just as disturbed as he felt, but the latter was better in controlling his emotion than the former.

When the last class finished, Alibaba immediately dashed out of the room leaving his confused friends behind. Morgiana’s eyes widen as they followed the retreating figure. She immediately packed her things and dashed out as well. That confirmed his opinion about her being his stalker, though normally, stalkers were more reserved in their observation.

As soon as the blonde and red-haired were out of sight, Kougyoku slumped on her chair. “Geez, I didn’t much chance to talk with Alibaba-chan peacefully because of her...”

“I think she has something in her agenda, Kougyoku.”

“Yeah, she keeps following Alibaba everywhere. Could it be, she is an assassin?!”

“Kougyoku, I don’t think Alibaba has any worth to be killed for...”

“Aladdin, you are very cruel toward your best friend.”

“I- I mean! Alibaba hasn’t done anything that makes him dangerous!”

Kougyoku laughed at the stammering boy. “Hakuryuu, what do you think?”

“Yeah, I think it is also very weird, but we have no way of knowing without directly asking her. I’m worried for Alibaba, though... He could do the unpredictable sometimes.”

The others could only nod their head in agreement.

Kouen stared on the files. There was no mistake on the name, after all Saluja was rather uncommon name to begin with. He took pride by the fact that he was usually right, though at the moment he was not pleased at all.

The memory of that night resurfaced. He was young and still inexperienced, but he and his team tried their best to save them. However, it was not enough. After years of his parents’ death, it was the first time he felt powerless again. He remembered the child, who lost his entire family because of a careless drunkard, weeping silently on the bench. There were two other children with him, trying to console him, but powerless to do anything.

He closed the file and put it back into the cabinet with a heavy sigh. Fate seemed to have a weird sense of humour.

There was a series of knocks on the door, when a nurse came in with a patronizing frown. “Kouen-sensei, hurry up and have your lunch. You will have a meeting at six.”

When he looked at his wristwatch, it had already passed his lunch time. “I suppose...”

Meanwhile, Alibaba was still running as fast as he could because Morgiana was chasing him with a speed of hyena finding a dead body. Her wide expressionless eyes did not help the fear Alibaba had been feeling since the chasing started.

His heart was hammering loudly and he felt like a mouse being played by a lion. Usually in a fable, the mouse survived after playing a trick on the carnivore. In reality though, the mouse was usually eaten after the lion was bored.

Alibaba was going to turn when he hit someone and fell down.

“Watch it, brat.” The voice sounded familiar. Alibaba looked up and found Kouen staring at him, with his hand right in front of him.

“Um...”

“Are you going to stare forever, or take my hand and stand up?”

Alibaba took his hand immediately. “Sorry, I was trying to get away from a girl...”

Kouen raised an eyebrow. “Popular, aren’t you?” While he said it like a joke, there was a hidden menace that made Alibaba’s heart swell with his possessiveness.

“No, it’s not like that...”

Kouen looked at the girl who was frozen in front of them. She made a ‘tsk’ sound and glared at him. Kouen did not know what her problem was, so he glared back at her. The competition last for seconds, before her eyes narrowed and she turned back, leaving them behind.

“You have a pretty feisty admirer.”

“She’s not my admirer!” Alibaba was blushing hotly now.

“Hoo...”

“Yeah...” They stood there silently, until Alibaba broke the silence as usual. “Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

“I’m on my way to have my lunch break.”

“Lunch break at this hour? Shouldn’t doctors be good examples of keeping good health?”

“I hate to break it to you, brat, but doctors work at odd hours and sometimes non-stop, dealing with lots of illness and insufferable people, and could barely have a life. They are hardly the embodiment of health.”

“... So you are having lunch now...” Alibaba smiled widely. “I know a good place! It’s just opened few weeks ago. Would you come with me?”

There was no way Kouen could deny Alibaba’s request when the boy was looking at him with such eager and hopeful eyes. They went to a place that Kouen was familiar with, given that he had just visited it few days ago.

“This place is owned by my childhood friend, Cassim. He has lousy expression, but he is a very good person.”

Apparently, Cassim was the waiter-slash-owner who served him and Kougyoku the first time he came here.

“Yo, Alibaba. You’re on a date?”

“Cassim! It’s not a date...” Alibaba turned to Kouen. “It’s not, is it?”

“It is, if you want it to be.”

Alibaba pondered with red cheeks. “It’s a date, then.”

Cassim merely smirked at him. “Aw, little Alibaba has finally grow up...”

“Shut up, Cassim. You are only a few years older than me!”

“Which is enough that I had to help your mom changing your diapers.”

Kouen watched the banter in silent. He felt the urge to slam someone on the nearest table, most preferably someone Cassim-like.

“Kouen-san, ignore this brute. Let’s just go find a table for two and have your lunch in peace.” Alibaba huffed, but Kouen could see the amusement in his eyes.

Once they are seated with a menu, Kouen cleared his throat. “You seem close.”

“Huh?” Alibaba was pretty dense and thick-headed. Thankfully Kouen found it endearing instead of annoying.

“You and Cassim. You two seem close.”

“Oh, his family used to be my neighbour. We fought a lot in the past, so I suppose you can say we’re close, in a way.”

“I see.”

“Also, he was there when I lost my family...”

Kouen thought about the file he read earlier, but he did not know how to bring it up. It might be painful for the boy to open an old wound. Kouen could see the pain in Alibaba’s eyes even now. Reaching for Alibaba’s hand, Kouen tried to lighten the mood. “So what do you want to eat?” Kouen tucked his own menu, looking for something fulfilling.

Alibaba appreciated the gesture. “I want... Spaghetti Carbonara. And Spicy Chicken Wings. And Tenderloin Steak with Mushroom Sauce.”

That made Kouen paused in his search. He stared at Alibaba. “Are you sure you can finish them all?”

“Yep. I’m famished since I didn’t have the chance to eat.”

“Oh?”

“Morgiana, the girl before, kept staring at me when I try to eat. I feel like a cow, fattened up so I will be ready to be slaughtered for dinner.”

“Fine then.” Kouen waved at Cassim to give their order. “He will have Spaghetti Carbonara, Spicy Chicken Wings, and Tenderloin Steak with Mushroom Sauce.”

Cassim muttered something that suspiciously sounded like ‘pigsty’. Alibaba simply stuck out his tongue at him.

“I’ll have... Salmon Steak and some lemon. What do you want to drink, Alibaba?”

“Orange juice will be nice.”

“Orange juice for him, and hot coffee for me.”

Cassim scribbled down their order and walked away, not before throwing Alibaba a very nasty and knowing smirk.

While waiting for their food, they made a small and meaningless talk. Even when their food had arrived, the talk continued. Once they finished their food, Kouen paid the bill, much to Alibaba’s chagrin.

“You are a brat. There’s no way I’ll let a brat pay for my meal.” Kouen did not budge, not even when Alibaba said that he only wanted to pay for his own meal. “Shut up and let me pay.” So Alibaba shut up. For a minute.

When they got out, Kouen looked at his watch. “I need to go back to the hospital. Is it okay that I cannot bring you home this time?”

Alibaba simply snorted. “Kouen, I’m 17 year old, not 5. I can go home alone just fine.”

“But you mentioned that you’re almost kidnapped.”

Alibaba blushed prettily. “That was one time! Why people keep fixating on that?! It’s not funny, it’s scary as hell, I tell you.”

“I know... That’s why I want to know if you will be fine.”

“Oh.” Alibaba thought Kouen was teasing him, but his concern appeared to be genuine. “But you laughed before.” Alibaba pouted with a frown.

Kouen sighed when Alibaba appeared to be seriously offended. “Alibaba... will you really be fine?”

“... I will call you once I’m got home.”

“Good, you do that.”

 “Okay...” Alibaba smiled brightly at him.

 “See you later, I guess...”

“Uh-hu.”

They stood there, unwilling to go first.

“I really have to go...” Kouen smiled a little. “See you.”

Then Kouen turned away, going toward the hospital. After Kouen truly left, Alibaba also walked toward his apartment. He might or might not skip a little on his steps.

Morgiana was sulking on her room. She had failed her first mission. Not really failed on the big picture, but she failed to keep an eye to Alibaba. Her client would be disappointed, or worse, her brother would be disappointed.

There was a knock on the door, and Morgiana reluctantly answer it. As expected, Masrur was in front of her.

“I’m sorry, Masrur-niisan. I failed my first mission and let... Alibaba went with the... sex-fiend...” Morgiana expression faltered as she finished her sentence. To her surprise, Masrur simply blinked in surprise.

“Sex-fiend?”

“Our client had specifically instructed that I have to stop Alibaba from meeting an old pervert and sex fiend named Ren Kouen. He said that he only abused Alibaba’s naivety and innocence...”

“Sinbad did that?”

“Yes.”

Masrur sighed. “Morgiana, Sinbad is biased because he hates Kouen. I have observed him since the first time he made contact with Alibaba in school, he made no indication of such accusation.”

“Really?!”

“From what I’ve seen, he is simply a man who likes a much younger boy.”

“That’s still not okay. That still means Kouen is an old pervert, a paedophile or sugar daddy.”

“Alibaba seems happy, do you know him enough that you have the right to judge his feeling? Or Kouen’s?”

Morgiana was silenced by Masrur’s explanation. “Masrur-niisan, do you care for Alibaba?”

Masrur only sighed. “My job is to make sure he is safe and happy.”

“So you do care.”

“I’ve been watching over him for five years, this protectiveness is bound to happen sooner or later.”

“I want to care for him too.” Masrur waited for her to continue. “He seems nice. He makes people around him happy, and he doesn’t judge people like I just did. He makes me want to be a better person.” Morgiana looked up at him expectantly.

“You do that. I’ll have a talk with Sinbad about his request.” She beamed at him, as much as a Morgiana Fanalis could beam, and Masrur knew he answered correctly. “Let’s have dinner.”

“Okay.”

That night, as she went to sleep, she really hoped Alibaba would forgive her behaviour and be her friends.


	5. Chapter 5

[ ](https://dreamingwhilewriting.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/pre-order-seven-meetings-comicfrontier7/)

Alibaba did not want to go to school today. He’d rather not face his newly found stalker. However, as someone who would be a part of a society in the future, he should not let this petty thing takes him down.

As he pondered over everything and nothing, he did not realize that Morgiana was following him closely, very closely, behind him. In fact, if Morgiana decided to put him into unconsciousness and brought him to her apartment, she could do it without much difficulty. She would not do it, of course. She was hired to be a bodyguard, not a kidnapper. Alibaba putting her on the same level as a stalker was bad enough, there was no need to raise his alert by being a kidnapper.

“Alibaba-san... Good morning...”

“Gyaaaa...!!!” Alibaba shrieked, totally in a manly manner to his applause, though bystanders might say otherwise. He turned and stammered his reply, “G-good morning, M-Morgiana-san.”

His reaction was understandable; it was not everyday your stalker greeted you politely, especially after you ran away from her for being too intimidating. It did not mean that it did not hurt her.

“Can I have a moment of your time?”

“R-right now?”

Morgiana paused for a moment, there was a flicker of pain in her eyes, but it was gone when Alibaba blinked. “If you can’t, then it’s alright...” She moved quickly before Alibaba could say anything.

Alibaba, being Alibaba, could not let such pain graced anyone, even those who scared him so much. “Morgiana-san!” Morgiana stopped on her track, but she did not turn to see him, so Alibaba talking, “Uhm, I’ll talk to you later at school!”

Morgiana turned so fast that Alibaba afraid she broke her neck. She gave him a small nod and ran to the school.

“Well, I hope it won’t be awkward when I see her in the classroom.” He mumbled while he walked slowly to the same direction. When he arrived to his class, he took a deep breath before opening the door.

“Good morning, everyone.” He greeted the class as usual, it might come out a little bit shakier, but hopefully the other students would not realize it.

“Morning, Alibaba-chan.” Aladdin greeted him brightly, but then he frowned when he took a look at his friend. “What’s wrong? You don’t look well.”

“No, nothing... Uh, has Morgiana arrived?”

Understanding dawned at Aladin’s feature as he let Alibaba took his seat. “No, what’s wrong?”

Alibaba shook his head. “No, it just that... She asked me if we could talk for a moment, and I kind of rejected it.”

Aladin smiled at his friend. “So you feel guilty about it?” _That was so Alibaba_.

Alibaba nodded. “I mean, she must have her reasons for her actions, right? It’s not like she decided to stalk me just because.”

 “I agree.” Kougyoku and Hakuryuu spoke at the same time, surprising the two boys.

“You two! When did you arrive here?”

“You guys are so rude. I actually greeted you but you were so deep into your discussion that you ignored me.” Kougyoku pouted at her friends.

“Well, sometimes ignoring you is the best option available...” Hakuryuu said as he grinned at his twin.

“Shut up, Hakuryuu! I’m still older than you, you know! You should respect your older sister!”

“By three minutes. That barely counts when you still need me to wake you up every morning.”

“That’s one thing!”

“How about tutoring your homework?”

“Ugh! That’s another thing! IQ does not have anything to do with age and maturity!”

“Well, your maturity is pretty much non-existent.”

“There they go again...” Aladin whispered quietly to Alibaba as they watched the morning drama.

“It must be nice to have a sibling, huh?”

“What? No way. Sibling only exists to drive you mad and order you around.” It was Aladin‘s turn to pout and cross his hands across his chest.

Alibaba laughed. “What did Judal do this time?”

“He took all of my savings and rented these very horrible B-rated horror movies, then forced me to have a marathon with him.”

Alibaba’s laughter turned louder. He still had a whimsical thinking of having his siblings with him sometimes, but when he looked at his friends’ antics, he realized that he might have had a lot of siblings that he cared and treasured, like Cassim and Mariam, also Aladdin, Kougyoku and Hakuryuu... He was very blessed.

“Anyway, have you learnt for today’s mock test?” Aladin broke his train of thought with a simple sentence.

“Eh?”

“We have Calculus mock test today, remember?”

“...”

As a student, of course he should remember that. But Kouen’s presence had made him forgotten about the exam. Alibaba really wished the time would stop.

God hated him. It was proven when He did not stop the time. Maybe it was Alibaba’s fault for forgetting of the incoming test, but he was still on the denial stage, so there was no way he would admit it.

God’s cruelty lied in the fact that not only He did not stop the time, but also He made time pass faster when students needed it the most. Alibaba barely finished his last answer when his papers were taken away. Some students sobbed on the corner, while the others seemed dying on their desk.

“So, how was it?” Aladin cheerfully asked after the class was over.

“Shoot me now...” Kougyoku cried on her desk.

“Don’t be so dramatic, sister.” Hakuryuu snickered on her miserable state.

“I think I’m doing fine, Aladin. How’s yours, Hakuryuu?” Alibaba asked with a small smile.

Hakuryuu blushed a little. “Uh, oh... I think mine is alright...” Hakuryuu laughed sheepishly.

Kougyoku nugged her twin to scoot closer, then whispered to his ear. “Hey, didn’t you say that you are giving up on Alibaba? Why are you still blushing on him?”

“It’s hard when you have to meet with him every day, especially when you have to see that smile...” Hakuryuu whispered back with a deeper blush.

Kougyoku only sighed at her brother.

“How’s yours, Morgiana-san?” Alibaba asked, surprising the others.

Morgiana look startled as well, but she recovered fast and gave a small nod to the blond. “I think I’m doing fine.”

“That’s good. It must be hard for you to have a test after moving here.”

“No, my brother had told me about it, so I had some time to prepare...”

“I see...” Alibaba scratched his chin. “Uhm, about this morning, we can have the talk on the first break if it is fine with you...”

“... Alright. Thank you, Alibaba...”

Alibaba’s friends watched the exchange in silent. Oblivious to his close friends’ gazes on him, Alibaba checked his phone and found a new message from an unknown number. He opened the message, smiled softly after reading it. He saved the new number under the name “Kouen”. Maybe God’s hatred had expired after the test.

Currently on the rooftop, Alibaba stood in front of Morgiana. One might mistaken this scene as a confession of love, or as challenge of fistfight if they watch closely on the two teenagers’ stances, but what was happening at the moment was neither of those.

“Alright... so you are saying that you and Masrur-sensei are hired to be my bodyguard?”

Morgiana nodded in confirmation.

“That explained how he arrived at that scene at convenient time. I always wondered about that.” Alibaba muttered to himself. “And who is your employee?”

“... It is confidential.”

“Oh, don’t bother. I think I can guess who it is. Uncle Sinbad is a big idiot.”

“My brother agreed to your sentiment.”

Alibaba grumbled, but he smiled when he looked at Morgiana. “Can you just ignore this stupid job and be my friend instead? I’d rather have a normal talk with you without feeling like a mouse...”

Morgiana cocked her head. “A mouse?”

“Besides, I think Kougyoku will be happy to have a female friend instead of being surrounded by boys all the time.”

Morgiana gave a small but sincere smile. “I’d love to be your friend.”

There was a small thud on the door. Then, Kougyoku opened the door, revealing Aladin and Hakuryuu behind her. “Nice! Now I can have someone to hang out with!”

“Kougyoku, it’s bad to eavesdrop. Kouen-san will definitely be disappointed.” Alibaba sighed.

“Hush, Alibaba!” Kougyoku hugged Morgiana, causing the stoic girl to blush madly in confusion. “Morgiana, I’m so glad! I’m so tired being surrounded by the testosterone every day!”

“Be careful now, sister. You are using scientific word. Before I know, you might be a genius tomorrow.”

Kougyoku simply stuck out her tongue at her brother.

Once the bell that indicated the school had ended rang, every student in Alibaba’s class was thoroughly defeated.

Aladin groaned in defeat. “I think I messed up on my last answer...”

“I think I messed up on all of my answer...” Kougyoku groaned in reply.

Hakuryuu groaned. “I think you are messed up in your head...”

Kougyoku hit him with her bag, causing the group to laugh.

“But we have tests for the whole day, I need some fresh air after this...” Alibaba said as he packed his things. His phone suddenly rang, apparently he had forgotten to put it on silent mode. “Hello?”

“Hey, brat.” Greeted a deep voice. “You are finished with your class already, right?”

Alibaba knew the voice all too well, and he smiled unconsciously. He moved away quietly from his friends and got out from the class. “Kouen? Why are you calling me?”

“I thought you might want to get some fresh air.”

“Very much so!”

“…Then be a good boy. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

Kouen ended the conversation briefly. Alibaba was smiling and was about to go back to the class when Aladin surprised him with his sudden appearance.

“Is it Kouen?”

“Yup.” Alibaba paused for a minute. “HUH??! HOW D-”

Aladin quickly hushed his best friend.

“Oh, I’m sorry... But how do you know about Kouen?” Alibaba tuned his volume down.

“I saw you at the Public Aquarium on the last weekend. Were you two having a date?”

Alibaba did not know how his friends would react if he agreed. “Uh, you see...”

“As a close friend of yours, I’ll be happy if you tell me what is going on with your life from time to time, you know...”

“I know...”

“For someone who’s pretty smart, you can be very stupid sometimes...”

“Well, it’s not like there’s anything I can do about it...” Alibaba deadpanned. They laughed, and Alibaba felt really blessed to have such wonderful person as his best friend.

“I guess you are going to have another date?”

“... He is picking me up in a few minutes...” Alibaba gave a small yet brilliant smile.

“What are you two doing?” Kougyoku asked at the two of them. She brought Alibaba’s bag and gave it to the owner, which he gladly accepted.

“Alibaba got a date~” Aladin answered in a sing-a-song tune. He started walking through the corridor, followed by the group.

“Ho~ Don’t have too much fun that you forget to study, young man~” Kougyoku laughed.

Morgiana frowned slightly, but she simply nodded. “Have fun.”

“See you tomorrow, Alibaba...” Hakuryuu gave him a thin smile.

After that Alibaba was waiting alone at the school gate. True to his word, Kouen arrived in five minutes after the call ended. Alibaba got inside the car he started to feel familiar with.

“How are the tests?”

“Eh? How do you know I had some tests?”

Kouen looked like he wanted to roll his eyes. “Kougyoku whined all night with various textbooks on her hand. It doesn’t take a genius to know why.”

“So even Kougyoku studied last night...” Alibaba mumbled.

“Huh? You didn’t study at all?”

“I... had forgotten about the tests...”

Kouen raised his eyebrows, waiting for the boy to continue.

“Well, it’s your fault!”

Kouen seemed unfazed by his outburst. “How so?” Alibaba turned away and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. However, Kouen could see embarrassment with his eyes closed. “What is it, Alibaba?”

Alibaba shook his head. “Nothing, let’s go to a beach!”

Already used to the boy’s spastic mood, Kouen was not even fazed. “Beach? At this season?” True to Kouen’s word, it was too cold for a beach trip.

“At this season, no one will disturb our date. Beside, nothing can heal a broken soul better than a beach.”

Kouen snorted, but complied with his request. So Alibaba counted it as a win.

When they arrived, the beach was quiet and serene. There were no people on sight, as if the beach belonged to them. The sunset was beautiful, painting the sky with wonderful hue of orange and pink on the blue canvas. The waves were rolling softly, playing the perfect symphony for the magnificent view.

“Seems like we arrived at the right time.” Kouen was appreciating the view when Alibaba dragged him through the sandy beach. “Come and join me! The water feels very nice.”

“No, it’s alright. You go play and build a sand castle while I enjoy the view.”

“Careful, Kouen. You are showing your true age.”

“And what does that mean?” The look on Kouen’s eyes was very dangerous, but Alibaba decided to ignore it.

“If you keep frowning like that, you will get wrinkles even before you can blink.”

“You little...” Kouen chased him to the water, but Alibaba had expected this so he ran away as fast as he could, laughing all the way. However, since Kouen had longer legs, he could catch the boy easily. That did not change the fact that he ran through the salt water with his shoes on. “Great, now you’ve ruined my shoes.” Kouen clucked as if he had just experienced a tragedy.

Still laughing even though Kouen had caught him, Alibaba said mischievously, “You should just join me when I ask you nicely.”

Kouen smirked. “Really now?”

“Kouen?” Alibaba tried to struggle. Key word: tried. “I don’t like the look on your face.”

“Then you shouldn’t mess with me in the first place, little brat.”

Even after the payback, Alibaba still thought that it was totally worth it.

 “So, Kouen. Is there any reason that you suddenly want to have fresh air?”

“Aside of wanting to relax?”

Alibaba hummed before he continued. “I like to think that I have a good judgment of people’s personality, and I don’t think you are the kind of person who does something without any reason.”

Kouen sighed. “I do have something to ask,” Kouen started, “but after some thoughts, I do not want this to affect your exams.”

“Kouen,” Alibaba replied in gentle annoyance. “I am not weak. Just tell me.”

“It is about your parents.”

Clearly Alibaba did not expect this. “Uhm… What is it about them?”

“I was a part of the team that took care of them that night.” Kouen stared at him with a hint of regret. “I watched them died...”

Alibaba recalled the pain and sadness. “Oh...”

“I’m sorry I can’t help your parents...”

Alibaba just shook his head. “Don’t be, you tried your best. If you blame yourself every time you fail to save a person, there will be nothing left for you to continue.”

The boy was surprisingly wise. “But...”

“Kouen,” Alibaba stopped him, “it is alright. Don’t blame yourself for something that was completely out of your control.”

The blond reached out for Kouen’s cheek, and Kouen unconsciously leaned in toward the warmth. Alibaba smiled at Kouen’s expression, so lost that it seemed out of place from the confident and stoic man.

“I have forgiven the doctors long ago, because I understood it was not their fault.” Alibaba whispered quietly. “A stupid but wise man once told me that a doctor’s job is not to cure or save all of his patients,” Alibaba savored the look that Kouen gave him, burning with trust and adoration, “but to care for them.”

The relieved sigh that escaped Kouen’s lips pained Alibaba. “Thank you...”

“No,” Alibaba shook his head, “thank you for caring my parents.”

And the smile that bloomed on Kouen’s face told him that he had said the right thing, because Alibaba never knew that the fluttering he felt on his stomach would be so wonderful. 


	6. Chapter Six

[ ](https://dreamingwhilewriting.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/pre-order-seven-meetings-comicfrontier7/)

After the last meeting with Kouen, Alibaba had not had the time to meet the older man again. Sure, they kept in touch with mails and phone calls, but Alibaba felt it was not enough.

The boy felt he was growing selfish, for he wanted to monopoly more of Kouen’s time. He wanted to look at Kouen’s eyes when they were talking. The lack of his presence only made the boy lonelier after the calls ended. He wanted to make sure that the older man was taking care of himself as well, to feel the warm hand stroking his hair, to kiss those lips that always managed to send flutters on his stomach.

But he could not because Kouen wanted him to focus on his study for the exams. Alibaba grumbled as he scribbled on his notes. He had enough of studying. After all, he had spent most of the time of his life doing exactly that. He wanted to take a break, almost calling Kouen before he realized he had done it 30 minutes ago, 31 minutes and 47 seconds ago to be precise, but who was counting, really?

‘God, am I obsessed or something?’ Alibaba shuddered at his own question.

He threw his phone away and sighed. There was no point to keep studying when his mind kept drifting to a certain red-haired man. And his mind kept remembering Kouen’s touches and kisses, which left him feeling hot and bothered.

Alibaba grumbled at the curse of being a teenager. He was supposed to study, not being turned on by the memory of a man’s touches, or kisses from said older man, who was sexy, dominating, and... crap. That was not really helping Alibaba with his problem.

His hands started travelling to his stomach. He imagined they were bigger and rougher than his own, as he remembered when Kouen pulled him into a kiss. His hands circled on his navel a little before they reached into his pajama pants. His breathing got shallower as his fingers wrapped on the shaft teasingly, still covered by his boxers, and he was fondling it when he heard a series of knocking on his door.

“Alibaba?”

Alibaba abruptly stopped his ministration on his pants when he heard Sinbad’s voice. “Yes?” His voice was huskier that normal. Alibaba cleared his throat. “What is it, Uncle Sinbad?”

Sinbad did not give any respond for a while, and then he cleared his throat too. “I was going to say that dinner is ready, but you can... finish your business first.”

Alibaba could only give a yelp of embarrassment. He heard his uncle snickering from the other side of the door. ‘Oh, God...’ Alibaba thought in horror as he stared at the tent on his pants. ‘I’ve turned into a pervert, and it is all Kouen’s fault!’

Kouen’s phone barely reached his room when his phone rang. He did not need to look at the ID to know who called. “Yes, brat?”

He could practically hear Alibaba’s pout. “I was going to say I’m not a brat, but I suppose it’s a lost cause. Anyway, I am thinking...”

“A very dangerous notion, agreeably.”

He could imagine the boy puffed his cheeks in annoyance. “I was thinking...” Alibaba repeated in more deliberate tone, “why did you choose to be a doctor?”

There was a long pause before Kouen sighed and managed to give him a respond. “Are you calling me for a career advice?”

“...No?”

“...”

“Alright, yes. I want some advice for my future career. I mean, you’re old enough to do that, right? Is it a crime?”

‘This cheeky brat...’ Kouen chuckled. “Aren’t you supposed to ask your uncle instead of someone you’ve just met for a few times?”

“In case if you haven’t realize, Sinbad is not a very good parental figure. Besides, you have lots of younger siblings, which mean you have faced this question a lot of time, right?” Alibaba sounded really hopeful. “I believe Sinbad wants me to be a businessman like him, it’s possible that he wants me to be the next head company. I mean, it’s kind of obvious, and he’s not really subtle in showing what he wants. It’s great right? I have the opportunity and, without sounding like I’m bragging, the necessary skills for that job. I know how to get the job done. And it will be rude to others who beg for such opportunity if I don’t take it. Besides, the staffs adore me! They always treat me nicely, they even bring cake especially for me when I visited them last time. Maybe the fact that I help them on my free time factored in, but-”

“Alibaba, you’re babbling.”

“I know...” He whined like a miserable puppy that was denied of his treat.

Kouen chuckled softly at his silliness and miserable state, even though he could not see the boy’s pitiful expression, which was a pity. “Stop thinking about what the others expect of you, stop listing the good thing about it too. Focus on what you really want to do, the kind of job that will bring you great satisfaction.”

“That’s... rather unspecific...”

“I don’t know what you want to do.” Kouen paused. “I don’t know a lot of things about you...”

“What, do you want to exchange diary or something?” Alibaba laughed, but he sobered up. “Besides, I want to know too... about you...”

“There will be plenty of time for that.”

“Good... but we’re getting off of the topic.”

“Right, your career. What do you really want to do?”

“I don’t know. I mean, it is easy to see myself as a businessman, but...”

“That’s not what you want.” Kouen finished it for him.

“Yeah...” Alibaba sighed softly.

“Just take your time. You are still young,” Kouen scoffed, “contemplating this thing is basically part of the job desk.”

This somehow made Alibaba laughed. “That’s not really helpful,” Alibaba paused, and Kouen could hear his smile when he continued, “but thank you for trying.”

“It’s alright.”

“Anyway, tomorrow is the last day of the exams.”

“Oh?”

“Don’t pretend like you don’t know, I’m sure Kougyoku is very giddy with excitement right now.”

Kouen paused, then turned to Kougyoku who was studying in the living room because the temptation of her bed was too much for her to handle. She was... indeed brimming with excitement. “She is. It’s like she doesn’t even care about her result anymore.” He watched how she rolled on the floor with closed eyes and muttering non-existent chemistry formula. “I think she just created a whole new formula. Should I be worried?”

“I’m sure she could pull it off, she always do. And she never has any interest in science, so the fact that she is studying is something, right? But we’re getting off of topic again.”

“We do.” Kouen allowed a small smile painted his lips. “So?”

“Since I won’t have to study for a while after the exam... can we meet tomorrow?”

“Is this the real reason of your call? To ask me out for a date?”

“O- Of course not!”

Kouen chuckled at the blatant lie. “No.”

“No?”

“For the date. I will be quite busy for a whole week.”

“Oh...”

“Don’t be so disappointed.”

“Well, I just got rejected for a date. I have every right to feel disappointed.”

“Well, you can use the free time to think about your future career.”

“That’s true...” Kouen imagined the cute pout on the boy’s lips. “But I want to see you...”

“Me too.”

“...”

“Alibaba?”

“Nothing... I suppose you’re right... I’ll see you next week?”

“Yes, next week.”

“Alright...” His voice became more cheerful after the promise. “Good night, Kouen.”

“Good night, brat.”

A week passed too slowly for Alibaba’s liking, perhaps it was because Alibaba was rather impatient to see Kouen again, especially after Kouen’s last mail that arrived four days ago telling him to pick up a place for the date. When the familiar car finally arrived, Alibaba got in to see the man whose presence he had come to adore. Once he had a look on Kouen’s face, he beamed at the older man. Kouen could not help but smile at his honest reaction.

But of course, Kouen just had to tease the blonde. “So happy to see me?”

Alibaba blushed. “I can’t help it!”

“Oh?”

“I mean, it’s been weeks since the last time we met...”

“Indeed.” Kouen smirked before he caressed Alibaba’s cheek. “I’m happy to see you too.”

Alibaba smiled and touched Kouen’s hand on his face. He really missed the feeling of this protective hand on him. Kouen, however, coughed softly.

“I’ll need my hand to drive.”

Alibaba sputtered in embarrassment and reluctantly let the hand go.

“So, where are we going, brat?”

In a rather timid tune he rarely used, Alibaba asked, “Can we go to your workplace?”

Kouen blinked. “Why?”

“Well,” Alibaba looked away to avoid Kouen’s questioning gaze while fiddling his fingers, “I want to... know you. So I thought that maybe...” The rest of his words are mumbled, but Kouen could see his ears turned red in embarrassment.

Kouen felt warmth bloomed on his chest (and his cheeks) as he continued to drive on. “Alright.”

The place was not as crowded as Alibaba expected.

“That was because we don’t have a lot of surgeries today.” Kouen explained when Alibaba asked him about it. “Had you come here yesterday, there were five patients along with their worried family waiting in the aisle. And you will see me wearing stupid sandals.” He pointedly frowned at the brown Crocs on the corner of the room.

Alibaba laughed openly at Kouen’s distaste of the plastic footwear and he got a flick on his nose for that.

“So, here we are, at my workplace.” Kouen sat down on his desk, pulling Alibaba to sit on his lap. Alibaba hummed in agreement, albeit a little embarrassed. “Do you have something to ask?”

“In fact, yes, I do.” Alibaba stood up and turned to face Kouen. “Tell me, why did you choose to be a doctor?”

“Ah...” Kouen let out a mirthless chuckle. “I suppose I can’t evade it this time?”

“You can’t.” Alibaba smiled in return. “After all, I want to know you.”

“Alright. The reason actually was quite emotional. Don’t cry a river once I’m done.”

Alibaba rolled his eyes. “I won’t.”

“I was seventeen when it happened.” Kouen eyes were staring at distance. “My mother was pregnant with Kougyoku and Hakuryuu. That night, my parents were having an argument. I had forgotten what it was about, but I remember that as soon as my father left the house in anger, she started crying and her water broke prematurely.”

“Oh, ergh...”

Kouen nodded understandably at his lack of ability to form a proper word. “We called the hospital for help, but her condition was unstable and there was a complication.”

Alibaba surprised the older man by hugging him. “I’m sorry to hear that...”

“Don’t be...” Kouen gave a small shrug. He did not feel mournful anymore, but he would keep it as a secret and let himself enjoy the boy’s hold. “So I became a doctor, a surgeon, to prevent such thing from happening again.”

“That’s rather dramatic, I mean you were on your last year in high school, right?”

“Not really. The fact that I am smart helped a lot.”

Alibaba snorted and punched his shoulder. “What about your father?”

“People said that he felt remorse on what happen, but his guilt prevented him to raise us properly so he left.” Kouen scoffed at the idea. “That man was never there for us, so it didn’t make any difference. The last time we heard of him was that he died on an accident.”

“Oh...”

“My siblings were never particularly close with him since we rarely saw him at home. At least the insurance helped with our school fee and he left some inheritance.”

Alibaba hugged him closer.

“Alibaba?”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s no-”

“That’s not nothing.” Alibaba let him go and looked at him straight in the eyes, his golden orbs were filled with pain. “I hate that you do not have a loving father like mine. And that you had to go through such thing when you’re so young...”

Kouen snorted. “Don’t be silly. I am telling you this so you can know more about me, not to make you feel sorry about me.”

“I know. I still don’t like it.”

“Well, what’s done is done.” Kouen chuckled at the boy’s naivety. “What about you? Have you found what you want to be?”

It is Alibaba’s turn to smile. “I’ve been thinking a lot... about how lucky I am.”

Kouen raised an eyebrow, but let the boy continue.

“I am lucky that I have an uncle that can take care of me when my family was gone. I am lucky that I grew up in a good environment, receiving good education, and surrounded by good people. I am lucky that even though I lost many things, I still receive lots and lots from people who care about me.” Alibaba’s smile saddened as he remembered Cassim’s childhood that were not as lucky as his. “Not many people are as lucky as I am, many have to fight alone because no one cares, or maybe they are afraid to receive the help.”

Kouen reached for Alibaba’s face and stroked it tenderly, and the boy shyly grinned at him albeit feeling a little sad. Kouen did not say a word, and Alibaba was thankful of that.

“I want to help them, Kouen... Those people, who feel that they are alone, that no one cares for them, that it is alright if they died because people will not see the difference... I want to help them.”

“How?”

“Maybe... I want to build an orphanage, a good one that will care for the children and educate them so they will have a bright future.” Alibaba’s eyes now filled with mischief.

“But to do that, I will need a lot of money and resource. And what’s a better way to earn all of that other than being a CEO of Oil Company?”

Kouen chuckled. “So you will be a businessperson, but that’s not the finish line.”

“Exactly. It will take a lot of time, but I will do it. Meanwhile, I can volunteer to help them on my free time.”  
Kouen pulled him into an embrace and buried his face on Alibaba’s neck. He inhaled the boy’s scent and smiled softly. When he pulled back, the smile turned into a smirk.

“Good job.”

“I know!”

“So no more woe story.”

Alibaba laughed hard. “Agreed. No more woe story for today.”

“Kouen, this is not the right way to my home.”

Kouen hushed him. “I know my way, brat.”

“But...” Alibaba was cut off when he saw the park.

He never knew the park could be beautiful at night, he could see the city light illuminating the darkness of the night. As soon as Kouen parked the car, Alibaba jumped out of the car. The wind was a little bit chilly, but it was refreshing and Alibaba could smell the scent of leaves hanging on the air.

“Kouen, it’s so beautiful.” Alibaba said in awe as he stared at the stars. His face was basked in the soft silvery glow of the moonlight, and he looked like an angel.

“I know.”

Alibaba turned to look at him. “Why do you bring me here?”

Kouen suddenly felt his throat gone dry and cleared his throat lowly. “I am quite sure both of us understand my intention to you.”

Alibaba felt blood warming both of his cheek. “Well, you are pretty direct in your approach.”

“I don’t like going round and about. And I am convinced by your reaction that you reciprocate my feelings.”

Alibaba blushed harder. “Aren’t you a little bit conceited?”

“You are not very hard to read, Alibaba.” Kouen chuckled. “But, you are still so young. If I am much younger, or if you are a little bit older, this might not be as scandalous as it is now.”

Alibaba felt a pang of pain on his chest as his mind race in panic. ‘What does this mean? Does it mean he doesn’t want to be with me anymore?’

“Alibaba Saluja,” Kouen touched his hands softly, “I adore your kindness and purity. I treasure how you can smile brightly like every day is a blessing, even though I know you have seen pain and sadness in your life. You don’t hesitate to help strangers even when you won’t get anything in return. Even though I’ve just met you for several times, I always feel happier and younger when I’m with you.”

Alibaba’s eyes started to water. “Kouen?”

‘Such trusting and young eyes...’ Kouen caressed Alibaba’s cheek and gazed on the younger boy’s golden eyes with such tenderness that he did not know he possessed. “I want you to meet with a lot of people and experience a lot of things and feelings. Go and see the world with your own eyes, and when you are older, I want you to see me with a pair of mature eyes. If you want to be with me after all those years, then I’d like to start a relationship with you.” Kouen reached his pocket and pulled put a box. “But you see, I am a very selfish person, for I also prepare this as a reminder for you, and as a promise, that I will be waiting for you.”

Alibaba opened the box and found a golden ring with a deep red ruby stone. “Kouen, you are truly selfish...” His voice was wavering. Alibaba looked at him in the eyes then smiled brightly. “I guess I will be a little selfish as well.”

Before Kouen could react, Alibaba reached his tie and pulled it hard. He then kissed Kouen on his lips. Alibaba tried to move his lips, but Kouen was too shocked to react. Alibaba was about to pull away in disappointment when Kouen suddenly hold him closer and kissed him passionately. Alibaba felt like he was melting. His body, enveloped by Kouen’s, felt so warm and lightheaded. He was losing his strength and he reached to wrap his arms around Kouen’s neck for support when Kouen’s lips slowly traveled down on his neck.

“Kouen...” Alibaba moaned when Kouen bit and sucked his neck softly.

“Damn it, Alibaba. I am trying to be a good citizen and here you are, tempting me like that.”

Alibaba’s face, already flushed from the kiss, heating up even more. “It- It’s because you lack of self-control...”

“Then don’t tempt me so...” Kouen licked his earlobes, giving the blond a pleasant shudder.

Alibaba’s pants felt too tight, and he felt something hard pressed on his lower stomach. “Uhm, Kouen...”

Kouen chuckled. He picked Alibaba up and rubbed his clothed hardness on Alibaba’s. The boy moaned at the contact and covered his mouth in surprise. The man smirked at the cute reaction and did it again.

“Wait, Kouen... No... I... Ah-!”

Kouen did not want to do something against the law, but the boy did not know that so he decided to tease the blond some more. “What is it? You have to speak louder.” Kouen’s mouth trailed lower and he licked the boy’s nape and gave a good suck on the supple skin.

Alibaba moaned louder. “No, not there...” Alibaba’s halfhearted struggle made their groins brushed together. The boy gave a small whine as he bit his lips. “Kouen, you’re so mean...”

Kouen chuckled at his vocabulary and released his hold on the boy. “Don’t play with fire if you can’t take care of it later, brat.”

“That’s why I have a responsible adult who can take care of it in my place.” Alibaba pouted. Remembering the box on his hand, he took the ring out and wore it on his right ring finger. He stared at it with a satisfaction and looked at Kouen in challenge.

Kouen chuckled softly. “Stupid brat.”

“I’m not a brat.” Alibaba pouted.

“I guess you are not...” Kouen stared at the swollen lips. His hand moved unconsciously and before he realized it, his thumb had been tracing the red swollen lips. “Let’s go home.” Alibaba did move an inch from his position. “Alibaba?”

“Kiss me one more time...” Alibaba said boldly, but Kouen could hear it wavering with embarrassment.

Kouen sighed. “I’ve fallen for a rather troublesome brat, haven’t I?”

Alibaba smiled at him. “You have.”

Slowly, Kouen reached the soft cheek and kissed it. Then he kissed the boy’s temple, his closed eyes, his nose, and finally his lips. Alibaba tried to keep this moment engraved so deeply in his heart, he did not want to forget such warm kisses for the rest of his life. Their lips moved softly against each other. There were no rush or the previous heat, it was almost like a kiss of goodbye. But it was not, it was a kiss of promise, that they will wait for each other.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A closure. Finally.
> 
> PS: I've made some changes here and there in the previous chapter, so maybe you want to check it out!

[ ](https://dreamingwhilewriting.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/pre-order-seven-meetings-comicfrontier7/)

It all began with a simple phone call. Apparently, Kouen thought it was honorable to inform Alibaba’s guardian that his charge was dating a man who was twice his age. He conveniently ignored the fact that said guardian despise his presence.

So, when Kouen informed Alibaba of his plan to visit Sinbad’s residence in a few minute, it was rather understandable that Alibaba got panicked. When the red-haired man rang the bell and Sinbad opened the door, Alibaba’s complexion became a shade paler. And when his uncle growled at his lover, Alibaba decided that he disliked cardio exercise.

“Why the hell are you here, again!?”

“Hello, Sinbad. Still emotional as usual...”

“What are you doing here?” Sinbad asked again, every single word was punctuated with suppressed anger.

Kouen raised an eyebrow in a challenging manner. “I’m here to get a blessing.”

Alibaba shrieked as loud as he could and dragged Kouen with him to his bedroom. As soon as he closed the door, he grabbed Kouen’s shoulder. “Kouen, what are you doing here!?”

“Asking for your uncle’s blessing.” He drawled.

“I’ve heard you, but wh-“

Kouen cut him off and released himself from Alibaba’s death grip. “I don’t want to hide our relationship from our family.”

“But does it have to be today?”

“If I don’t come to surprise you like this, will you ever tell him?”

“Of course!” Alibaba glared at the man in front of him.

Kouen gave him a flat and judging look.

“Okay, perhaps...” Alibaba deflated a little. “But I will tell him eventually!” When Kouen did not even blink, he added, “Maybe?”

Kouen snorted.

“But why does it have to be today of all thing? It’s too sudden!”

“Which is exactly the point. You cannot run away now.”

“This is a very delicate situation,” Alibaba sighed in defeat, “Let’s go back to talk to my uncle...”

Alibaba opened the door and was greeted by his uncle’s glare. He yelped and hid behind his lover.

“Alibaba...” Sinbad’s voice was very low and soft. “Explain.”

Alibaba thought that he preferred the shouting rather than this quiet sheeting anger. He peeked over Kouen’s torso and gave his uncle a sheepish smile.

“Just a few weeks ago, you went to a date with him.” Sinbad started. “I let it go, just one date, no big deal. But why is he here, again?”

“You didn’t ‘let it go’ per say, you hired a stalker to watch over me.” Alibaba frowned at his purple haired man. When Sinbad opened his mouth to deny it, he continued in a hurried tone. “I am dating Kouen.”

Sinbad’s face was contorted, almost as if he was having a mini heart attack. “But I have...”

“Morgiana’s job is a bodyguard. You can’t transform her into a love consultant.” Feeling a little bit confident, Alibaba took a step to face his uncle and crossed his hands in front of his chest.

“But, but...” Sinbad’s eyes landed on Alibaba’s finger, his ring finger, which was surrounded by a golden band with red stone. He always wondered why his nephew suddenly had interest in jewelry, but now it made sense. “The ring is...”

Alibaba nodded without giving further explanation.

Sinbad cleared his throat and looked at Kouen, calmer than the previous displays. “What does the ring mean?”

Kouen’s mouth twitched upward. “My three month salary.”

Sinbad’s breath caught on his lungs. For a moment, he almost forgot to breath. He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “You are serious.”

Amusement of Sinbad’s expression was quickly forgotten. Kouen nodded once. “Very.”

Sinbad’s shoulder slumped and he looked rather tired all of sudden. “You propose...”

Kouen started speaking slowly to deliver the news. “Well, considering it is not legal for same-sex marriage in Japan, it is not exactly a marriage proposal.”

Sinbad turned to his nephew. “And you accepted it.”

Alibaba waved his hands to show the ring. “I’m wearing the ring, am I not?”

“But it’s too soon!”

Kouen raised an eyebrow. “It’s not like we’re getting married.”

“But the lack of legal paper from the government aside, I think it we are pretty much engaged.” Alibaba finished it for him. He looked up to see Kouen’s satisfied smirk, and it got wider when Sinbad growled.

“I need a stiff drink.” Sinbad went away toward the kitchen without any other words.

“Uncle Sinbad...” Alibaba wanted to go after him, but Kouen hold his hand to prevent him going. “Kouen, why?”

“I’ll go.”

After getting lost on his quest a few times, Kouen finally reached the kitchen and saw Sinbad standing near the counter with a glass of scotch on his hand. Kouen walked slowly as not to upset the guy further, but then he realized that he was supposed to annoy that man as much as he could. He was about to say something snarky when Sinbad beat him to it.

“Why?”

Caught off guard, Kouen could only blink. “Pardon?”

“Why do you have to give him a ring?”

“Well...” Kouen drawled. “When two people meet and fall in love, and they want to be with each other...”

“I’m not asking for the birds and the bees talk!” Sinbad slammed his glass on the counter. He looked up and glared at Kouen. “Why him of all people?”

“Why not him?”

“You are not suitable for him!” Sinbad took a big gulp of his drink and slammed it back to the poor counter. “He is too good, too sweet and kind... And you...”

Kouen snorted at the man’s image of his adopted son. “You act like he is still a helpless child.”

“But he is so weak! He’s too... helpless in the middle of this world...”

“Perhaps he was,” Kouen remembered Alibaba’s despair when he lost his parents years ago, bawling his eyes out as he hugged named Cassim for comfort, “but he isn’t anymore.”

“Do you even know what you’re talking about?” Sinbad had poured himself another glass and finished it greedily.

“I know I do.” Kouen grabbed the bottle before Sinbad could pour another glass. “Do you?”

“Not my child...” Sinbad suddenly sobbed. “My child is never leaving me alone here...”

“He’s not going to stay a child forever...” Kouen’s patience was running thin. “We’re not even going to ran away and marry somewhere...”

Sinbad, however, decided to ignore the doctor and wailed in sorrow. Kouen frowned and shook the scotch bottle, only to find it almost empty.

“How much have you drunk this?”

“I just opened it...” Sinbad answered between his cries.

“You are drunk,” Kouen stared at the man who sobbing like a child bullied by a big, bad dog, and corrected himself, “disgustingly drunk.” He added to himself.

Sinbad let out a dignified cry and launched himself to attack Kouen, but his feet was wobbling and he fell to the floor. “No!” Sinbad struggled to get up but failed miserably. “Get here so I can hit you!”

“... How about, no?”

“You are taking my child away!” Sinbad pointed an accusing finger at him. “It is customary for a father to hit the guy who took his child away.” Sinbad let out another sob and started crying on the floor.

Kouen sighed. He took Sinbad’s hand and lifted him from the ground. When the drunken man tried to hit him again, he evaded it easily and moved to support the wobbly businessman.

“Don’t run, you stupid. I ought to hit you.”

“You can hit me when you’re sober. I don’t want to be hit twice because you conveniently forgot that you had done it.” Kouen walked to the nearest couch he could find, which was in the living room, and released his hold on Sinbad. The drunken man started snoring thunderously as soon as his head hit the comfortable couch. Kouen snorted and decided that he’d better go back to Alibaba before Sinbad decided that sleep was for the weak.

He turned around and found Alibaba was peeking from the hallway. The boy smiled sheepishly when he was caught and Kouen snorted as he walked to the boy.

“So?”

“Your uncle is ridiculous.”

Alibaba was startled into laughter. “You’re so mean!”

“It’s the truth.” Kouen shrugged carelessly. “Now, we have one more stop to go.”

Alibaba raised an eyebrow in question, but Kouen just dragged him out of the house and into his car.

They made a short stop at a flower shop to but a bouquet, and took off immediately again. It took a while for Alibaba to recognize the street, and understanding dawned to Alibaba’s feature when they passed a certain sign. He smiled at the red haired man. “You have thought about this for quite some time, right?”

Kouen parked his car on the nearest place shaded by a tree. “Ever since we talked on the beach.”

“That’s rather long...”

They went out of the car and Kouen went away to take a wooden bucket, which he filled with water, and a ladle while Alibaba guided the way to their destination.

Once they arrived, Alibaba put down the flowers on the gravestone. He was about to take the wooden bucket when Kouen offered him some incense sticks, the older man had his own on the other hand.

Alibaba giggled softly. “You even prepare this?”

Kouen just shrugged and lit the sticks on. “It’s only polite.”

They put the lit incense stick on the offering and pour the grave with water. Alibaba put his hands flat in prayer and felt Kouen did the same thing beside him.

“Father, mother, it’s been a long time...”Alibaba said quietly to the grave. “There are lots of things happened since the last time I visited. But I will only tell you the important things.”

Kouen watched the boy in complete silence from the corner of his eyes, letting Alibaba poured out his stories to the deceased.

“I’m going to be graduated from high school soon and enter university. Sinbad is still the same as usual and we are healthy. And... I have found someone very important to me...” Alibaba glanced at the man, but looked back at the grave. “He is the brother of my precious friend, and he was one of the doctors at that night...”

Kouen tensed but forced himself to relax. He knew Alibaba would not hold grudges for failing to save his parents, the boy had said as much.

“He felt sorry for failing you, and I forgive him because it is not his fault,” Alibaba knew his cheeks were a little bit red and he felt naked under Kouen’s gaze, “it’s never his fault... And as we meet again, I feel that losing him will be very painful for me... Maybe as much as when I lost you, maybe more...and I don’t want it to happen.” Alibaba took a deep breath and let it go. “So I hope you are happy with my decision to be with him as soon as I turn 18.”

At Kouen’s sharp inhale, he turned to look at the doctor again with a smile, urging Kouen to say something. Kouen cleared his suddenly dry throat and spoke slowly. His voice was filled with more confidence than what he actually felt. “My name is Ren Kouen, and I am one of the doctors that failed to save you and your family that night.”

Alibaba frowned at his introduction but did not cut him.

“I failed to save you that night and I was as powerless as any human. But I want to be with your child and stay with him for as long as I am allowed to. So please,” Kouen gave a deep bow to the grave, “let me have your child.”

Alibaba burst out laughing at his exclamation. He choked on his laughter and had to support himself on the gravestone so not to fall down.

Kouen straightened up and frowned at his lover. “What?”

Alibaba tried to catch his breath. “You...” he said between his laughter. “You are so awkward it’s adorable.” He laughed again, just as loud as he did before.

Kouen felt his cheek heated and growled at the boy. “This is supposed to be a serious situation and a touching experience.”

“That’s alright.” Alibaba finally managed to calm his laughter down. “We can be just like this, attempting serious conversation and ruin it without effort.” Alibaba took Kouen hand gingerly. “We can stay like this, and just be us.”

Kouen huffed and tried to cool off his face. He was not supposed to be the one blushing, it was Alibaba’s job. He loosened their holding hands and circled his arms around the boy’s waist. “I think it’s a great idea.” He kissed Alibaba on the top of his head and smiled when the boy started blushing again.

 _‘That’s right,’_ Kouen thought gingerly as they walked back to the car, _‘we can be just us.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be epilogue, but it will be in the book, like a bonus for those who buy it. LOL.  
> Yes, it will not be anywhere on the internet, not even on my blog. :)
> 
> For detail, go to my blog by clicking [HERE](https://dreamingwhilewriting.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/pre-order-seven-meetings-comicfrontier7/).
> 
> Thank you for following this story until the end! I love you so much!

**Author's Note:**

> If you find any mistakes, or something does not add up, please tell me.


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